


The Unknown Stark

by ananova



Series: The Unknown Stark 'Verse [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Gen, Mentions of Cancer, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-06-28
Packaged: 2018-07-15 11:23:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 30,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7220371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ananova/pseuds/ananova
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dealing weapons under the table and the attempt on Tony's life weren't Obadiah Stane's first betrayals. No, his first betrayal was when he decided to keep Tony Stark's daughter a secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so this is my first fic in the Marvel fandom. Please give me feedback and let me know what you think. Also, I have this mostly plotted out, except for the end. If you don't mind spoilers you can find the plot for this fic on my tumblr where I posted my fic idea http://ananova55.tumblr.com/post/145985860596/fic-idea-for-darcy-lewis-is-tony-starks-daughter
> 
> If you have any ideas for the ending of this fic I'll take any recommendations. Thanks and I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. In other words, I don't own and I make no money from this.

 

Obadiah Stane smiled as he read over the reports from R&D. Production was up due to Tony's recent building binge. The numbers he was seeing made it well worth putting up with the younger man's exuberant lifestyle.

"Mr. Stane?"

Obadiah glanced at the aide standing in his doorway. Speaking of Tony's lifestyle. "Yes Roberts? I assume you have the latest results for me?" He glanced at the folder in the other man's hands.

"Yes sir-"

"Well you know the procedure by now. File the necessary injunctions against the false claimant." He dismissively turned his attention back to his reports.

"But sir, that's just it. The results were a match this time."

Obadiah's head snapped up at that. "What did you say?"

The nervous aide handed over the file. "We sent the test back three times for confirmation. This isn't a false claim this time." He fidgeted as Obadiah read through the lab results. "Should I contact Mr. Stark?"

That shook Obadiah out of his shock. "No, no. I'll handle it." He gave the other man a tight smile. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention. But if you'll excuse me I have to decide how to break the joyous news." He dismissed the other man.

Once Roberts had left the smile turned into a scowl. "Damn it Tony! I've worked too hard to get where I am to lose it now because you couldn't keep it in your pants." He scowled down at the positive DNA match. "A new Stark heir only puts the company further from my hands. Howard started to get soft after fatherhood, I can't risk the same with this Stark." He steepled his hands as he thought about what to do. The smile reappeared after a moment as he looked at the claimants contact information. "But who's to say that anyone needs to know about this? Especially Tony." He chuckled and reached for his phone. "Melissa? I need you to call a Ms. Elizabeth Lewis and ask her to come see me at a convenient time. Oh, and keep this quiet please."

He hung up and closed the file just as the young engineer stuck his head in the door. "Hey Obie, I was planning to get some pizza. Want to join me?"

"Why not?" Obadiah said as he stood up after locking the file in his desk drawer. "Oh, the latest paternity tests were just delivered. All negative, as usual."

Tony waved his hand dismissively. "Like you expected any different. Please, I'm careful. Me, a father? Like the world really needs another messed up Stark running around."

Obadiah hid his smile as he let the engineering genius change the subject to his latest invention. Yes, things would be just fine. Providing, of course, that Ms. Lewis played ball. But all he would need is the right incentive.


	2. Chapter One

"Darcy! Mr. Stane will be here any moment, you need to clean up this mess."

"But mom, I know I can do this, I just need some more time," Darcy pleaded, as she looked up from the mess of electronics and wires she was fiddling with.

Elizabeth sighed as she stared at her 8-year old daughter's face. "I'm sorry sweetie, but Mr. Stane is a very important, very busy man. He is taking time out of his busy schedule to visit us so we need to be presentable. Just put it away for now and you can go back to it once he leaves, alright?" Not to mention that I don't want him to see and get any ideas, she thought to herself. Something about Obadiah Stane had always seemed off to her, ever since that first meeting.

_Flashback_

_"Ah, Ms. Lewis, so glad to meet you," Obadiah Stane said as he stood behind his desk, one arm extended for a handshake._

_"Likewise, Mr. Stane," Elizabeth said, shaking his hand._

_"Obadiah, please Elizabeth, I can call you Elizabeth, can't I?"_

_"Of course," she told him before glancing around the office. "Tony isn't joining us? I thought-"_

_"No, I'm afraid Tony has no interest in this meeting." Mr. Stane, Obadiah she corrected herself, waved a hand absently._

_Elizabeth frowned. "But you've gotten the test results, surely he understands, this is his daughter we're talking about?"_

_Obadiah shook his head. "Sadly, Tony has no interest in having anything to do with the child."_

_"But-"_

_Obadiah continued as if she hadn't spoken. "I think we can all agree that is lifestyle is not conducive to the well-being of a child. He has authorized me to act on his behalf in this matter." He held out a thick pile of papers. "You and your daughter will be well taken care of, never wanting for a thing. As long as you agree never to contact Tony directly or reveal young, Darcy is it?" At her nod he continued. "Yes, as long as you don't reveal young Darcy's parentage to anyone. After all, I'm sure you wouldn't want her to grow up with the kind of attention that would bring. The press would hound her every step, not to mention the safety concerns that would come about. Why think of how many people might try to use her to get to Tony?" He gave her a smarmy grin._

_Elizabeth swallowed as she considered his words. She had seen the media coverage that surrounded Tony Stark. Did she want the same for her daughter? The answer was, of course, no. And she'd never considered that there were those who might try to harm her daughter to get to Tony. She glanced down at the papers in her hands and her eyes widened at the amount she would receive monthly. While she was from a well-off family, they weren't rich and she had been cut off once her pregnancy was revealed. She had been forced to drop out of college because of that. This would set her for life. "I see your point," she conceded. She skimmed through the papers but nothing seemed off to her. "I guess we're in agreement," she said, accepting the pen Obadiah held out to her._

_"Excellent," he said, accepting the paperwork back. "If you need anything you are to contact me. Also, I would like to be kept apprised of how young Darcy is doing, of course. I am an old family friend of the Stark family, after all." He smiled at her, a strange glint in his eye._

_"Yes, of course," Elizabeth agreed as she suppressed a shudder. Something about his manner was off, though she couldn't place a finger on it. "And if Tony changes his mind?"_

_"I doubt that will happen but I will keep you in the loop."_

_End Flashback_

That was Elizabeth's first meeting with Obadiah Stane. It wouldn't be the last. True to his word he stayed in contact, mostly by phone asking for reports on Darcy's health and school progress. But once or twice a year he dropped by for a visit, such as the one today.

Darcy sighed and reluctantly put her project away. Elizabeth nodded approvingly. "Now go wash up and put on that blue dress I left on your bed." Darcy grumbled as she did as told while Elizabeth went to answer the door as the doorbell rang. "Obadiah," she greeted with a smile, "how nice to see you again."

  
\---------------

  
Darcy continued to grumble under breath as she descended the stairs, though she pasted on a smile as she greeted their visitor. "Hello Mr. Stane."

"Now Darcy, I thought I told you to call me Uncle Obie," he reproached her with a grin. "Now let me see you. You've gotten so big since the last time I saw you. Such a little lady you're turning into."

Darcy sat through the pleasantries and small talk that followed, waiting until her mother left the room to retrieve refreshments to ask the question that she'd been considering for a while. "Mr. Stane, I mean Uncle Obie? Why doesn't my Dad ever come to visit?"

She watched his eyes widen. "Now why would you ask me that?" he asked with a forced chuckle.

Darcy rolled her eyes. "I know you work with him. I hacked Mom's computer and read the files I'm not supposed to know about, including my birth certificate. I know Tony Stark is my father. So why doesn't he come to visit?" She ignored her mother's sharp exclamation at her confession, keeping her eyes firmly on the man before her.

"Well aren't you a chip off the old block," he told her with another forced chuckle before sighing. "Tony is just too busy with work, that's all."

Darcy frowned at him. "But you're able to visit so why can't he?"

Obadiah shook his head. "It's too dangerous I'm afraid. He'd never be able to come without drawing attention to you. And your anonymity is what keeps you safe. You'd never have a moment's peace if that went away."

"But-"

"Now no more discussion of things that can't happen. Why don't you show me what you've been up to since I last saw you?"

A dejected Darcy did as he asked. Later as Obadiah was preparing to leave she handed him a robotic figure she had worked long and hard on. "Please Uncle Obie, show it my Dad? I just want him to see that..." she trailed off, unsure what she wanted to say.

Obadiah ruffled her hair as he took it from her. "Sure, sure, I'll show him it. Now you take care and listen to your mother. And remember, tell no one who your father is." He gazed sternly at her.

"I promise." She watched him leave. Maybe things would be different when her Dad saw the robot. Maye then he'd think she'd be worth visiting?

Later she was watching TV while her mom did the laundry. She gazed eagerly at it as she spotted her father's picture come on to the screen. She listened eagerly to the newscast.

_"And this just in from StarkWatch, who was able to catch Tony Stark for a few words about his plans for the future. It doesn't appear that he's ready to settle down just yet, so ladies feel free to keep trying."_

_The view changed to a street shot, a woman held a microphone out to Tony Stark as she asked, "So Tony, any plans for the future?"_

_He tilted his head gaze down at her over his sunglasses, a smirk on his face. "Why, are you offering?"_

_She blushed and giggled. "Still no special lady in your life I see."_

_He grinned at her. "Oh, they're all special."_

_"But," she continued on gamely, "the public is wondering when you're going to settle down. Aren't you concerned about your future legacy? Shouldn't you be thinking of having children, someone to take over your work. Surely you don't mean to wait as late in life as you father-"_

_"Excuse me," Tony interrupted with a grin, though it appeared rigid, "but I have a meeting to get to I'll make this quick. My legacy is well in hand, thank you very much. As for children, God no, I mean can you imagine. No thank you, I am just fine without any brats running around. I mean one of me is plenty to go around. Now if you'll excuse me." He ignored further questions as he climbed into the back of a car._

_"And that was the latest from StarkWatch."_

The television droned on but Darcy wasn't listening any longer. "He didn't mean it," she told herself, needing to believe. "He's just protecting me." But she needed to know for sure.

Checking that her Mom was still occupied, she snuck onto the computer, signing onto the internet and connecting to a program she'd installed. One linked to the robot she'd given Obadiah earlier, in particular a camera she'd hidden in the 'bot. She impatiently waited for the video to load. She fast forwarded through a few minutes of not important scenes before she found what she was looking for, glad for the foresight to set the 'bot only to record at certain keywords. Like her father's name.

_"What's this?" The video showed an up-close view of Tony Stark, dressed the same as earlier, though he appeared scruffier and tired. He was obviously handling the little robot._

_"Oh, something an up and coming engineer I met with earlier gave me. What do you think?"_

_Tony snorted with disgust. "It's a piece of crap. I could have done better at age 5." The view changed rapidly, an approaching waste basket filling the screen before the image went completely black._

Tears burned hot trails down her face as Darcy came to the realization that her father really didn't want anything to do with her. Fine, she thought. 'If he doesn't want anything to do with me then I want nothing to do with him.' She stormed to her room and began tossing her latest project and all other engineering related items into the trash.

Now there were several things that Darcy was unaware of. She didn't know that Tony had been having a really bad day, the simultaneous mention of his father and of he himself fathering children being the straw that broke the camel's back. She didn't know that Tony was drunk at the time he examined the 'bot and made that remark. She didn't know that Obadiah had found the camera and engineered Tony's reaction to the 'bot by hitting him with bad news beforehand. But most of all, she didn't know that Tony had no knowledge of her existence.

All she knew was that her father had just broken her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Tony seems kind of harsh here but please take it easy on him. He doesn't know.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse into the mind of a SI employee following Tony's return from Afghanistan during the events of Iron Man. And Darcy suffers a devastating loss. Warnings for mention of cancer, minor character death, angst. Lots of angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of angst ahead here. Be warned. And a minor character dies here, as well as a mention of a canon death though I doubt any of you will grieve for the canon character.

Jeffrey Michaels thought he'd found his dream job at Stark Industries. He had graduated near the top of his class from law school and had been sought out by multiple companies. He'd accepted the offer from Stark Industries and things had seemed to be going well for him, despite him being the most junior of the team of lawyers.

Then Mr. Stark's convoy had been attacked in Afghanistan and his new employer had been captured, presumed dead. Terrible, but Mr. Stane was doing a good job of holding the company together. A few months later and Mr. Stark was thankfully found alive. But then he made his bombshell announcement about stopping weapon production and chaos ensued. Jeffrey worried he would soon be out of a job.

But again, Mr. Stane seemed to have things under control as he filed an injunction to temporarily put a halt to Mr. Stark's plans. Reasonable as Mr. Stark did seem to be behaving strangely after his experience. And then one morning Jeffrey arrived to work to discover that some type of battle had occurred the night before. The place looked like a war zone. It was extremely difficult to get through the door even after showing his credentials. But finally he made it inside and to his department.

Only things were even crazier there. Everyone was rushing around as apparently many were placing the blame for the damage on Stark Industries and already lawsuits were being filed. The lawyers had a very busy morning attempting damage control.

But then someone turned on the television and there was Mr. Stark, giving another press conference. Where he admitted he was the one in the metal robotic suit. Jeffrey stifled a groan, wanting nothing more than to bang his head against the wall. Had the man never heard of damage control? Where was Mr. Stane, he could be expected to handle Mr. Stark. Already he could here the government lawyers calling to lay claim to the suit.

Things went from bad to worse later that day as news came that Mr. Stane had perished in a plane crash. Jeffrey sighed and continued about his work, a long day ahead of him. He hoped things would be better the next day.

But arriving back the following day he found things just as hectic as before. Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts had called a meeting with the entire legal team. He was shocked when they revealed that Mr. Stane, before his untimely death, had been involved with shady business dealings and embezzlement. He watched as several of the senior legal staff shifted uncomfortably before being asked to accompany several government agents out of the room.

"Now," Mr. Stark said as all attention turned back to him. "You are going to investigate every deal that Stane had a hand in, every penny that passed through his hands. Recover it if you can but I am concerned about who's hands it ended up in. We've already uncovered ties to terrorist groups so this is a priority."

With that the legal team was dismissed and sent back to their offices to get back to work. As the most junior member of the team he found himself doing a lot of the gopher work. And there was a lot of it as there were so many files to dig into going back decades, not to mention the lawsuits that were still pouring in and of course he had been right in his predictions about the government. Plus them being down several of the senior staff. He looked on the bright side, at least there was obvious opportunity for career advancement. He sighed as he looked over the work stacked on his desk, once this mess was dealt with that was.

It wasn't until several weeks later that 'the file' crossed his desk.

"Here," said Jacobs, one of his superiors. "You've done some good work these past few weeks, enough that we think you can handle this one on your own."

Jeffrey's eyes lit up. A chance to prove himself. He skimmed through the folder. Years worth of payments to a woman, one Elizabeth Lewis. It was a significant amount of money but not as much as some of the others they'd come across in their search. He noted that there was some contract involved though it wasn't included in the folder and after jotting down the relevant information descended to the archives. After all, it wouldn't do to go after someone who was receiving payments after an injury was hushed up, something that was a distinct possibility.

It took him a while to find the file as it had been misfiled, perhaps deliberately. He glanced through the contract and as he had thought it was a non-disclosure agreement though it didn't state for what. He began to close the file only for a paper to slip from it. He retrieved it and frowned at the contents.

"A positive paternity test?" He briefly considered the thought that the child in question belonged to Mr. Stark before dismissing it. Despite his brief time with the company he knew all about the department devoted to researching all paternity claims and how there had never been a positive match. Besides, why would they settle for this pittance when they could lay claim to the whole Stark fortune. No, the claim must have been against Mr. Stane, though Jeffrey had no idea why he would feel the need to hide it as the man wasn't married.

He shrugged as that was not his concern. No, his concern was what to do about the money the Ms. Lewis had received. After all as far as the woman was concerned she had been receiving child support payments. She had no way of knowing that the money was illegally obtained. It would be bad press to sue her now, especially since they were trying to keep Mr. Stane's actions under wraps, and they couldn't afford the bad PR at the moment. Not with lawsuits still trickling in.

He brightened as he recalled that Mr. Stark had stated that the priority was discovering where the money had gone not necessarily recovering it. And there had been a few other cases, the aforementioned injury payoffs where it was decided not to pursue the recovery of the money. All he would have to do is present the woman and her child with a contract stating that they could keep whatever money they had already received so long as they never contacted Mr. Stark or Stark Industries again.

With his decision made Jeffrey returned to his desk to draw up the contract and track down contact information for Elizabeth Lewis.

\-------------------------

Darcy Lewis was having a bad few months. The 20-year old had been doing well in classes at Culver, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Computer Science, despite 'Uncle Obie's' not so subtle hints that she should be taking engineer courses. At his question of "Wouldn't you like to work in the family business one day?" she had merely snorted in disbelief before replying "Thanks but no thanks." She was quite happy with her chosen field of study that had as little to do with her biological father as possible.

Then she had received word from her mother, who had been feeling a bit ill recently, that she had been diagnosed with cancer. That it was in the advanced stages, having gone undetected for too long and thus there was nothing that could be done except make her last months as comfortable as possible.

So Darcy took the semester off from school in order to spend as much time as she could with the older woman before it was too late. It was during that time that the news hit that Tony Stark was missing, presumed dead in Afghanistan. So she had faced the possibility of losing both parents, even if she didn't really know one of them. At least 'Uncle Obie' had called occasionally to reassure her as best he could.

She had breathed a sigh of relief when news came that he had been found alive. She didn't really pay attention to the press conference he gave though she noticed her mother's interest at his announcement of halting weapons production. But then her mother took a turn for the worse and all of her attention was focused on her as she was confined to her hospital bed. She'd paid no attention at all to the news reports that followed over the next month of Stark's presumed instability following his ordeal. The buzz of his admission of being a superhero barely registered at all, nor did the reports of Obadiah Stane's death in a tragic plane accident.

None of that mattered as Darcy focused all of her attention on the only family she had ever known. She practically lived in her mother's hospital room, barely leaving to eat or shower and change.

But one day near her final days, in one of her last lucid moments Elizabeth squeezed Darcy's hand. "Sweetie," she rasped. "You're strong, you'll get through this. I know you will. You're my, beautiful, brave, strong girl."

Darcy clung desperately to her mother's frail hand, tears clouding her vision. "I don't know how. I'll be all alone."

"You'll be alright. I have faith in you. But promise me," she trailed off as a coughing fit seized her ability to speak for the moment.

Darcy eased her mother into a better position. "Anything," she told her as the fit subsided.

"Promise me you won't give up on your father."

What?! That was not what Darcy had been expecting. She opened her mouth but Elizabeth continued on first.

"I know he hasn't been there for you, not like he should. But I know he is a good man deep inside. He can change, just give him the chance."

Darcy could only stare at her mother. How could she ask this of her? Her father wanted nothing to do with her, he never had. He'd made that perfectly clear. Why should she keep risking her heart by holding out hope? But how could she refuse the only thing her mother asked of her as she lay dying? Tears burned their way down her cheeks. "I promise," she finally managed to say.

Elizabeth squeezed her hand again. "Thank you, Sweetie. I love you." Her eyes closed and she drifted off.

Darcy continued to hold her hand, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. "I love you too," she gasped out quietly, still feeling tormented over the promise she had just made.

That was the last true conversation Darcy had with her mother as her condition only worsened after that as the pain consumed her before she slipped into a coma. Two days later she passed on.

With no one to lean on Darcy's grief consumed her. She managed to pull herself together long enough to make funeral arrangements for her mother. She had to, there was no one else who could do it. Elizabeth had tended to keep to herself and had no close friends to speak of and her family had long since cut her out of their lives.

So Darcy made the necessary arrangements. After that she allowed the grief to consume her and recalled only snippets of the days that followed. She remembered standing by the open grave, the priest speaking though she could not remember a word he had spoken. She remembered neighbors and acquaintances offering their condolences though again, she couldn't repeat a word of it. She remembered staring at the grave and offering her own goodbye. But really, the thing she remembered most was the unspoken wish that **someone** be there for her and yet no one was. Her heart ached as the thought passed through her mind that there would be no better time than now for her father to decide that he could be part of her life and she his.

Struggling to keep her promise to her mother of not giving up hope, yet angry and hurt at being asked for it, she returned to her childhood home, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for all of the angst but it needed to happen. I warned several of you that things were going to get worse before they got better. I hope you decide to stick around for the rest of this fic.
> 
> The lawyer is an original character, I simply grabbed names at random so he is not based on anyone. I can easily imagine you guys not being happy with him, especially after the next chapter but I hope I was clear enough with his reasons and motivations here.


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More angst ahead here. I did warn that it would get worse before it got better. Also, I'm not an expert on legal matters or taxes though I do know there is an inheritance law. So I tried to make this as realistic as possible while still following the plot I needed, any discrepancies please ignore.

It wasn't until three weeks after the funeral that Darcy finally stopped wallowing about in the house. It was the email from Culver reminding her that classes for the upcoming semester would be starting in a couple of weeks and her decision on registering was needed.

That made Darcy realize what she had been doing. She had been wallowing, reasonable considering her loss. But she couldn't keep going as she was, letting life pass her by. Her mom wouldn't want that. So yes, she still mourned for her mother and always would but she would no longer let that grief consume her.

So she shook herself out of her slump and took a shower before settling down to review what she needed to do. She glanced at the notice about registration and nodded. Yes, she wanted to register, it was time to start living again and that meant going on with her schooling.

In order to accomplish that though she needed to take stock of her financial situation. She winced as she looked over the piles of bills that had accumulated during her mother's hospitalization. Why was medical care so expensive?

Thankfully there was enough in her mom's accounts to cover all of the bills, though not much more than that. She frowned as she looked over the bank statements. "Why is the balance so low?" she wondered. They owned the house outright so it was only utilities and taxes that needed to be paid, though because of the area they lived in the property taxes were a bit high.

Her mother had never gone back to school or work after giving birth, deciding instead to be a full-time mother. Something she could choose to do because at least her father supported her financially even if that was the extent of his involvement. And while child support wasn't taxable income, the payments had never been registered that way. Another way for her father to distance himself from her, she thought bitterly. Instead, it had been filed as a consultant fee so her mother had been heavily taxed on the income as well.

Darcy frowned as she realized that the reason the balance seemed low to her was that the last couple of 'payments' had not been deposited into the account. She chewed on her lip as she wondered about that. Who could she contact? They had only ever dealt with 'Uncle Obie'. Was it his death that caused the halt?

A pang of guilt hit her as she realized that she hadn't mourned for the man at all and was only thinking about him now that his death was affecting her situation. Still, she consoled herself, they hadn't exactly been close and she had had other pressing concerns to deal with.

She shook her head and sighed, considering her options again. Then nodded, decision made. She arranged payments to the hospital and funeral home then contacted Culver and registered for classes but requested a bit of time to arrange the tuition payment. They were thankfully understanding of her situation and she had until classes started to pay. She'd give it a couple of more days then try to figure out who to contact at Stark Industries if the money still hadn't been deposited.

Then she turned her attention to the house. Should she keep it? It would just be sitting empty while she was at school but she didn't think she could bare to part with the only home she had ever known. Then again she didn't know if she would be able to afford to keep paying the taxes in addition to her tuition. She should really start looking for someone to contact as SI.

The ringing doorbell pulled her from her thoughts. "Yes," she asked warily as she opened the inner door leaving the screen door between them shut. She stared at the man in the business suit on her doorstep. He seemed so out of place there.

"Yes, hello. I'm Jeffrey MIchaels, an attorney with Stark Industries. I'm looking for an Elizabeth Lewis?" He gazed at her doubtfully, obviously realizing she was too young to be the woman in question.

"My mother passed away a few weeks ago," Darcy said dully, tears stinging her eyes. She forced them away, she had cried enough recently. Though she wondered at the timing of his visit, she had just been thinking of trying to contact SI after all.

He winced at her announcement. "I am sorry for your loss," he told her honestly though he fidgeted nervously. "If this is a bad time-"

Darcy cut him off. "Is this about the payments to my mom's account?"

He sagged with relief. "Then you do know about them?"

"Let's do this inside Mr. Michaels." Darcy fought the urge to roll her eyes as she opened the outer door and let him inside. "Yeah, I know all about the child support my father arranged. Not sure why the payments stopped though." She led him to the dining room and sat across from him. She tried to ignore the little voice whispering in her mother's voice that this could be her father reaching out to her for once.

"Yes about that," Michaels fidgeted with his briefcase for a moment before clearing his voice. "Unfortunately we have only just become aware of them with Mr. Stane's unfortunate passing. However, those payments were from a Stark Industries Discretionary Fund. That means that it is there for SI employees to use for miscellaneous business expenses though the payments must be authorized by Mr. Stark. Now not only were these payments not for Stark Industries business, they were unauthorized by Mr. Stark."

"What?" Darcy could only gape at the man, the sound of blood rushing through her ears muffling his words. All of those years and the only thing her father had ever provided for her wasn't even from him?

"Yes, well, with the circumstances being what they are Mr. Stark has agreed not to ask for the money back as long as you sign a no-contact agreement." He opened his briefcase and retrieved a stack of papers which he held out to her. "You would be barred from attempting to contact Mr. Stark or Stark Industries in any way. Failure to comply would result in a lawsuit for the full amount of illegally obtained funds as well as stiff penalties."

Darcy numbly accepted the paperwork and stared blankly at it. Her father still wanted nothing to do with her and now he was threatening to sue her. She was suddenly furious. With him, with herself for allowing herself to hope he had changed, and with her mother for asking that promise from her. 'I tried Mom and this is what I get for it.' She blinked back tears and grabbed a pen. "Fine," she hissed as she angrily signed the papers. "Now get out."

Michaels took the paperwork back. "I am really sorry-"

Darcy stood and marched to the door, jerking it open. "Out!" Michaels went and she slammed the door behind him before throwing herself down on the couch and crying for a relationship that would never be. This is why hope was a bad thing, it only led to more pain.

She did offer up a silent prayer of thanks for 'Uncle Obie' as he had apparently looked out for her more than she had been aware of since he at least made sure she and her mother were taken care of financially when Tony Stark couldn't even be bothered with that much. The guilt from earlier returned and she hoped that at least he was at peace now.

Darcy allowed herself one day to mourn her father as well as her promise to her mother (which led to mourning her mother again) before she dragged herself together and began to make plans. She looked over financial options offered by the school but it was too late to apply for most of them. She applied for a small loan though it wouldn't cover much of her expenses. Tearfully, she came to the decision that she needed to sell the house and made arrangements with a realtor. She was told that with the good neighborhood and location it would sell quickly.

She spent the next several weeks before the semester began going through the contents of the house. She discarded a few, unnecessary things but placed most into a rented storage facility, unable to bare with losing the reminders of her mother.

The realtor was correct and the house did sell quickly, netting a good sum. But she was warned that a good chunk of it would be heavily taxed under the inheritance laws. Darcy frowned as she compared the remainder to her needs. That plus the loan would definitely cover tuition if she continued as she had planned for the next year and a half but then she would have nothing left. However, if she could manage to to graduate this semester than she would still have some money to live on while she got herself situated.

She nodded as she thought it over and checked the course options again. It was doable, thanks in part to her taking several Advanced Placement courses in high school that counted toward college credit. She'd also graduated and started college a year early so she was much further in her degree than she would have been, though the semester off had cut the lead a bit. She could do it, though she'd have to take an internship to for the science credits in order to fit all of the other classes into her schedule. Darcy pulled up the list of available internships and reached for the phone, wincing as she realized how close to the application date most of them were. Hopefully at least one would still be open.

She hit dead end after dead end before finally lucking out. "Dr. Foster? I'm calling about the internship you posted-"

"It's yours," a female voice said in a relieved but distracted tone.

Darcy blinked in surprise. "You don't want to check my qualifications against other applicants?"

"You're the only applicant I've gotten and the deadline's just about up. Just contact me with your information and we'll make arrangements for you to come out to my location."

Darcy agreed. Looks like she'd be heading to New Mexico in May after her classes were done. Barring any unforeseen difficulties she'd be graduating this semester, pending the results of her internship. She'd never need to even think about her absent father again.

She brushed all thoughts of Tony Stark from her mind. It was time to get to buckle down and get to work.


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy starts her internship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No angst in this one. Surprise.
> 
> Jane kind of stole the chapter here, I only intended to introduce her then go on to the movies but it just kept getting longer and longer. So next chapter will have what I originally planned for this one.

Darcy staggered a bit as she stepped out of the small airport, a wave of dry heat assaulting her. Shaking it off she looked around for any sign of Dr. Foster. She had received a text telling her to meet her in the parking lot instead of inside. Her gaze landed on a beat-up Pinzgauer but what caught her attention was the odd bits of tech she could see sprouting from various areas. She cautiously strolled toward it, hoping she was correct in her assumption. "Dr. Foster?" she called once she reached the vehicle.

There was a thump from inside. The door opened and a small, thin brunette woman in an oversized shirt climbed. "Look, I told you I won't be much longer." She blinked. "Oh, you're not airport security."

"No, I'm not." Darcy took in the woman before. She didn't seem anything like she had expected. "Darcy Lewis, you're new intern. That is, if you are Dr. Jane Foster?"

"Oh, yes! I'm Jane Foster." She held out her hand, surprising Darcy with her strong grip. "Sorry I didn't come into meet you but I was going over some readings from-"

Darcy's eyes started to glaze over from the technical babble that followed. She faked a yawn which turned into a real one. "Sorry, it was a long flight."

Dr. Foster waved her off. "It's alright, I understand. It's a long drive to Puente Antiguo so feel free to take a nap. In fact that might be a good idea as we need to go into the desert for more readings tonight."

Darcy paused where she had been loading her bags into the vehicle. "Tonight?"

"Well when else am I going to be able to get data based on the stars?" Dr. Foster said in an amused tone. "Oh, you can drive right? I'll want to get some readings while moving as well."

"I can drive," Darcy confirmed. She eyed the Pinzgauer skeptically. "But never anything like this."

Dr. Foster negligently waved her hand. "Don't worry about it, we'll be in the desert. No chance of you hitting anything."

"If you say so." Darcy settled in for the ride as another stream of technical babble started to come out of Dr. Foster's mouth. Just what had she gotten herself into here? 'Six credits, just got to stick around for six credits and everything will be fine. What's the worst that could happen?' With that thought Darcy drifted off.

The sensation of the Pinzgauer jerking to a stop woke Darcy up. Dazedly she looked out the window, startled to not see much of anything. "Where are we?"

"Welcome to Puente Antiguo," Dr. Foster said as she opened her door.

"This is Puente Antiguo?" Darcy gaped as she exited the vehicle. She didn't know what she'd been expecting but it wasn't this. The town couldn't be more than a few blocks worth of buildings.

"Yeah, place is small but it's located close to some interesting sites for my work. Not to mention I got a great deal on the lease for this place." She gestured to the old car dealership she'd parked in front of. "Not easy to find the kind of space I need for my machines."

Darcy stared. "Great," she muttered before following the astrophysicist inside, where the place appeared to have been ransacked. "Should we call the cops?" she asked as she hesitated by the door, staring at the papers tossed messily over every surface, a half-assembled machine strewn about one corner of the floor.

"Why?" Dr. Foster frowned.

"You look like you've been robbed," Darcy pointed out incredulously.

Dr. Foster looked around. "No everything's exactly the way I left it." A machine beeped and she hurried to examine it. "Your room is through there," she gestured absently toward a door in the back of the open space. "It's not much but it's yours. I've got a trailer outside."

"Great," Darcy said again, hefting her bag and heading toward her room. What had she gotten herself into?

After dropping her stuff off in the room she found (not much but at least it had a decent bed), she returned to the main room and looked around. Dr. Foster was busy with one of her machines and not paying any attention to anything else. Darcy glanced around the room, an expression of disgust crossing her face. "Yeah, this isn't working," she muttered. She wasn't a neat freak but this was just ridiculous, how did Dr. Foster expect to find anything? She rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

She grabbed a trash bag and was about to start tossing all the various debris into when she realized that quite a bit of it had writing on it. She stopped and instead gathered it into a rather large pile to be gone through later as she had no idea what might be important. Instead she turned to the dirty dishes and coffee cups strewn about. She found the sink and spent a good half hour just scrubbing the dishes clean before setting them in a pile to dry.

Then she grabbed her laptop and headed to the piles of papers she had said aside. She carefully studied each one before typing up the contents and saving it to a flash drive, then placed the paper into a folder she had found. She might not understand any of what she had read but at least she was good at deciphering the handwriting.

A couple of hours into this her stomach growled. She realized that she hadn't eaten anything since the plane. "Dr. Foster, is there anything to eat?"

"Should be some poptarts in the cupboard" was the distracted reply.

Darcy got up and checked the indicated cupboard. It was empty. She checked the rest and found a couple of empty boxes but no food. "Looks like you're out."

"That can't be, I just did the grocery shopping on Tuesday. I bought enough for a week."

Darcy gave her an incredulous look. "It's Monday."

That finally drew Dr. Foster's attention away from the machine. "Really? Hey what happened to my notes?" She scurried over to the empty table, looking underneath as if they had merely fallen to the floor.

"I typed them up for you. I wasn't sure of the order so I just made each page it's own file for now and figured I would sort it better once you had a chance to go through them. The hard copies are still here, in that folder over there." Darcy pointed it out.

Dr. Foster ignored the pile and instead made a beeline for the open laptop, skimming through the files. "You typed it up? You were able to read my handwriting?" Darcy saw her eyes widen as she took in the information on the computer. "This is correct, it's all correct. How did you do it?"

"I've had some practice deciphering bad handwriting," Darcy told her, thinking of all of the medical files she's snuck looks at. Doctors had really bad handwriting.

"Can I keep you?"

Darcy stared at the astrophysicist. "Until the end of my internship," she agreed.

Of course, that's when the half-built machine in the corner started to spark. Dr. Foster squawked and rushed over, disconnecting various wires while Darcy grabbed the fire extinguisher she had spotted earlier. She reached the machine just as the sparks turned into flames, knocking the older woman back and dousing the flames. "Are you alright Dr. Foster?"

Dr. Foster stared mournfully at the machine before sighing. "I'm fine. Thanks." She glanced around the room. "Let's get something to eat, there's a bar just down the road that serves some great wings. We'll get groceries tomorrow."

The wings were pretty good. The conversation that followed wasn't. Dr. Foster again started going off about her research, this time listing tasks that Darcy would need to complete. Which wouldn't be so bad except it was so technical that Darcy didn't have a clue what she was supposed to do.

"I didn't catch any of that."

Dr. Foster frowned at her. "I thought you were a science major?"

"Political Science." Darcy snorted at the incredulous look she received. "You were the one who didn't want to check my qualifications," she pointed out. "Look I needed the credits to graduate and you were the only one who would take me. I'm not afraid to work hard, you're just going to have to show me exactly what you need me to do."

Dr. Foster nodded. "I can do that." She glanced at her watch. "Come on, it's getting late so we should head back and get the van ready to head out. Oh, I hope you brought a sweater or something."

Darcy frowned at her as she followed her out of the bar. "A sweater, why?" She got her answer as soon as they stepped outside. "It's freezing!"

"Yeah, the temperature has a tendency to drop as soon as the sun goes down."

Darcy sighed, at least she had packed a couple of knitted sweaters and hats. She opened her mouth to reply but a voice from behind them interrupted her.

"Oh don't worry ladies, I'll be very happy to help warm you up."

The two women turned to stare at the man behind them. He was heavyset and scruffy looking with two days worth of facial hair and obviously drunk, barely able to stand straight and was leering at them. Their faces twisted into identical looks of disgust. "No thanks," they replied simultaneously.

"Oh, don't be like that," he said, reaching out a meaty paw. Jane slapped it away and his face twisted with anger. "I was being nice you little-" His words cut off when Darcy shoved her taser into his face.

"Leave," she ordered. "Or I'll taze you in the balls."

"Bitch!" He spat before turning and stumbling back inside the bar.

Darcy and Dr. Foster exchanged a look before hurrying back to the lab. "Most of the locals aren't like that," Dr. Foster assured her. "Come on, let's get the equipment into the van." She pointed out what they needed to bring. Once the van was loaded Dr. Foster climbed into the driver's seat and they headed into the desert.

Darcy was glad for her sweater when they finally stopped and Dr. Foster opened the doors and windows to get readings. She paused in setting up the machine as Dr. Foster had indicated to stare at the night sky. "Wow."

"Amazing isn't it?" Dr. Foster had a knowing smile on her face.

"I've never seen anything like it." The stars shone brighter than she had ever seen. It was amazing and beautiful.

"Yeah too much light pollution in the cities. You have to come out to areas like this to really be able to view the stars." She turned back to her own machine and let out a small curse as she began fiddling with it before eventually giving it a small whack.

Darcy wandered over, curious. "What's up?"

"It won't turn on," Dr. Foster huffed in frustration. "How am I supposed to get atmospheric readings without it?"

Darcy glanced inside the open panel. She didn't understand what the machine was supposed to do but she could tell it was cobbled together from parts of various household appliances. "Is that duct tape?" She sighed and started poking the inner workings. "I think I see the problem, you have a screwdriver and wrench?" Accepting the tools she got to work. "There, try it now," she said after about ten minutes of fiddling with the machine.

A doubtful Dr. Foster did so and was pleasantly surprised when the machine turned on without a problem. "What did you do?" she asked breathlessly.

Darcy shrugged. "Some of the parts are old. Things loosened up, they just needed to be tightened. Though you should really replace them if you can, I swear that looked like part of a VCR in there. No way," she said spotting Dr. Foster's blush.

"I had to build them myself so I had to work with what was available. Do you know how hard it is to get funding?"

Darcy shook her head. "Still, I can think of several other common things available in a hardware store that would work just as well and wouldn't cost much either."

Dr. Foster gave her an incredulous look. "You don't even understand the science behind the machines what makes you think you can replace the parts with something else?"

It was Darcy's turn to blush. "I might not understand science but I do understand how machines work. I like to tinker."

Dr. Foster nodded thoughtfully. "So why Political Science instead of Engineering?"

Darcy's face closed off. "I may like to tinker but I've got no interest in engineering. Bad experiences."

"Alright. I'll make you a deal, you help me maintain my equipment and organize my notes and I'll make sure you get full credit for this internship and write you a glowing recommendation. Deal?"

Darcy's face lit up with a smile. "Deal! Thanks Dr. Foster."

"No problem as you'll be really helping me out a lot. And call me Jane."

"Okay Jane, then I'm Darcy. Oh and no scavenging my stuff for parts, I don't want to find my I-pod has been appropriated for Science!" They shook on it.


	6. Chapter Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so we get to the events of the movies. I'm not writing out the movies, most of us have seen them multiple times so I'm just going to make brief mentions of things from Darcy and/or Jane's POV.
> 
> And thanks to Liebekatze, I ended up using part of your idea after all as a reason for Coulson to give in more easily.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys. Next chapter should be really big so it might take an extra day or so.

Darcy glanced down at the paperwork in her hands. It was the report on her work during her internship. All she needed was for Jane to sign off on everything and to file it with Culver and her graduation would be finalized. This was it, her internship was over. She glanced to the woman standing in the middle of the government agents, directing them on how to place her equipment. But could she really leave Jane now, after everything that had happened?

Then Jane looked up and caught her eye. "Darcy?" she asked, coming over to the other woman.

Darcy pasted a smile on her face. "So, Culver sent the final forms and stuff to finalize the internship. I already filled them out, they just need your signature and recommendation."

Jane's face fell. "Oh, already?" She sighed, reaching for the papers. "I'll be sorry to see you go."

"But I was thinking, I could just mail them back to Culver to be filed. Who says I need to be physically present to receive my diploma, they just mail the real one out anyway. You need me here."

Jane perked back up. "You mean it?"

"Yeah boss lady, we've been through too much together. Besides who else is going to make sure you eat and sleep, who else can decipher your mad scribbles, and who else is going to maintain your machines?"

Jane squealed and threw her arms around the younger woman. "Well let's get these filed so you have your degree even if it isn't in a real science." She grabbed a pen to start signing the correct places only for a hand snatch them from her grasp. "Hey!" The two women turned to glare at Agent Coulson as he glanced at the papers.

"Ladies, I'm sorry Dr. Foster but I can't let you sign these."

"What the hell Secret Agent Man?! I need those to graduate."

"Dr. Foster's work is classified, you can't use any of it toward your degree. So you will have to return to your university and earn your credits some other way." He turned to Jane. "Dr. Foster, Miss Lewis is clearly unqualified to assist you with your research. SHIELD will provide you with any qualified assistants that you require. It really is better that Miss Lewis leave now."

Darcy gaped at him, to furious to even speak. First they came in and stole all of Jane's research and machine's, even Darcy's I-pod and laptop, then they returned it but under the caveat that Jane work for them. Then they took Erik away for some secret project nobody would talk about. Now they were stealing Darcy's graduation from her and her place at Jane's side.

But Jane wasn't so speechless. "No," she hissed furiously, marching up to the government agent. "You don't get to come in here and make demands about who I work with. Darcy is the only one who knows how to organize my notes. My machine's, that I built, only work as well as they do because Darcy is a naturally gifted engineer who can maintain them without much of a budget."

"I'm sure that you can train one of our lab assistants to your organization. And SHIELD has many engineers and technicians who would be able to help you with your machines." Agent Coulson glanced at the jury-rigged equipment with a raised eyebrow.

"No!" Jane emphasized this by getting as up in the man's face as she could despite the difference in height. "I don't trust your people won't decide they don't need me after all once I reach a break-through and just walk away with my research, again. You want me to carry out my research and share it with you? Then I need Darcy. No Darcy, no research." Jane crossed her arms over her chest and glared up at him. For his part Agent Coulson shifted nervously as he realized just how important the younger woman must be to the scientist before him. Why else would she be making such a demand of him knowing the consequences if he decided not to agree?

Darcy could only stare at the tiny astrophysicist. No one had ever stood up for her like that before. Jane was threatening to walk away from her life's work (because there was no way the government would let it continue unless she worked with them, they'd proven that by taking the research away once), and it was all for Darcy's sake. "Jane," she said quietly, blinking away tears of gratitude.

Jane glanced at her before glaring at Coulson once more. "And we will be filing Darcy's paperwork. She has more than earned her degree. If you'd actually bothered to read the reports there is barely any mention of my work. It is just a report on Darcy's work during her internship, which was mainly the organization of my notes and her work on the machines. No details on what the machines were doing, nothing that would give away my research or hint at your presence here."

Agent Coulson frowned and glanced at the papers once more, reading more carefully this time. "You are correct, there is absolutely nothing classified here." He handed the papers back. "There is no reason to deny Miss Lewis her diploma." He hesitated. "If you are sure that you wish Miss Lewis to remain-"

"I am," Jane said firmly.

"Then I will file the appropriate paperwork." He turned to Darcy. "The non-disclosure agreements you signed are still in effect though Miss Lewis. You are to make no mention of Dr. Foster's work or SHIELD's presence, or the existence of Thor and Asgard."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Duh."

He frowned at her. "There was no mention of any engineering skills in your background report."

Darcy snorted and shrugged. "Because I never took any engineering courses. I just like to tinker. Will that be all Agent Son of Coul?" She gave him a look to imply it had better be.

Agent Coulson gave her a strange look before shaking his head. "Yes, that's everything. I'll go file the paperwork authorizing Miss Lewis to remain as your assistant." He turned and walked away, muttering something about spending too much time with someone who'd name Darcy didn't catch that he was starting to see him everywhere.

Darcy turned to Jane and threw her arms around her. "I can't believe you did that. Jane, you were willing to walk away from your life's work, for me!"

"You're my friend Darcy. You've been here for me this whole time, I couldn't let them just take away your chance to graduate. Besides, they need me too much if they want to figure out what my research actually means, that's the whole reason they returned it. Well that and the fact they're afraid of what Thor will do when he returns if they hadn't." She brandished the papers she still held. "Now let's get you your degree. Oh, you know I can't pay you much, right?" Jane gave her a sheepish look.

"No worries boss lady, I have some money left from my mom. It's not much but I can live on it, providing you continue to provide room and board."

"It's a deal," Jane said before signing the papers with a flourish. Darcy was done with that stage of her life.

\-----------------------

Darcy knew this whole sudden trip to Tromso, Norway was suspicious. It was too fast and as Jane's assistant and the one responsible for applying to various places for a chance to use their equipment she knew with absolute certainty that Jane had not applied. So this whole sudden opportunity? It reeked of SHIELD. SHIELD who had slowly withdrawn their attention from Jane's research the longer there was no sign of a break-through or Thor returning. Hence Darcy's suspicion.

So while Jane was happy to go about her research (at least the opportunity was real if suspicious) Darcy grabbed her laptop and set to work trying to find out just why SHIELD was so determined to get them out of the way. She used the log-in information she had swiped from one of the SHIELD flunkies to get into their system then set about digging deeper. She frowned at the mentions of Loki and something called the Avengers Initiative. She dug deeper and found some live video. "Oh my God! Jane get over here."

"Busy Darcy." Jane waved her off.

Darcy grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. "You need to see this." She shoved the computer in her face.

Jane glanced at the screen. "Some trailer for a new movie?" Her eyes widened. "It that Thor?"

Darcy nodded grimly. "This is real, and happening right now in New York."

The two women huddled together, Jane's research forgotten as they stared at the images on the screen. Darcy swallowed painfully at the brief glimpses of the Iron Man suit. She'd managed for over a year to avoid most mentions of Tony Stark, not an easy thing. Focusing on her school work and then the remote locations Jane's work required helped. But seeing this brought all of the hurt and anger back to the surface from where it had been buried. She didn't notice Jane eying her contemplatively a few times, too focused on the video.

They watched as Iron Man carried a missile into the hole in the sky. ("It's a portal, a stable wormhole," Jane breathed excitedly, muttering quietly that she hoped someone got some good readings of it.) Then the portal started to close and Darcy's heart was in her throat. Was she about to be completely orphaned? But no, Iron Man dropped from the sky. Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. The video feed cut off at that point, someone finally detecting the breech and cutting them off.

The two women faced one another. "SHIELD?" Jane asked. Darcy nodded. Jane got a fierce look on her face. "I think it's about time I contact them about this 'opportunity' they arranged."

But it took a while to actually get through to anybody at SHIELD. Agent Coulson was not answering and they had a hard time finding someone else to contact. It wasn't until two days later that finally got in touch with a Jasper Sitwell who informed them of Agent Coulson's death. He then went on to tell them that Thor had returned to Asgard with his brother who had to face punishment for his crimes.

Jane was furious. "And nobody could even give him a phone to get in touch with me? And why the hell did you send us all the way out here?!"

Sitwell started to explain that it was for their own safety.

But Jane had had enough. "No! I'm through with SHIELD's secrecy and lies!" She ignored his comments that if she cut ties she would not be able to continue her research on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge and hung up on the man. "Let's get out of here," the astrophysicist said. They quickly packed up all of their gear and arranged transport, this time to England. "We'll stay with my mother for a while," Jane told Darcy.

Darcy could tell that Jane was bit despondent over Thor not contacting her after his prolonged absence. "Hey, he did say that Thor had to bring his crazy brother home. I'm sure once that's taken care of he'll be back, I mean the transport between worlds is actually working again if he got here for the battle."

Her words did seem to cheer the older woman up, at least for a time. So they went to London and tried to find something new for Jane to research, including building new machines to take readings. Darcy would periodically reassure Jane that Thor would be back, pointing out that the justice system takes a while on Earth who knows how long it'd take on Asgard.

But the longer they went with no sign of Thor, the more depressed Jane became. Darcy did manage to cheer her up a bit around Christmas only to go into a spiral herself when the news reports started coming in that Tony Stark was presumed dead after his house was blown up in a terrorist attack with him inside. She didn't know why she cared since he didn't care about her but she found herself glued to the TV, waiting for news. It was Jane's turn to comfort her and while Darcy could see the curiosity in her eyes, the other woman never asked. They breathed a sigh of relief when the reports came in that he was alive and had saved the President's life.

Darcy turned to Jane and opened her mouth, not sure how to explain.

But Jane simply shook her head. "Don't. You'll tell me when you're ready."

Darcy gave her a weak smile.

Things went back to what had been the status quo for a while. But Jane's depression returned, getting to the point where she even had no interest in her work. She would just lounge around her mother's apartment all day, doing nothing. Darcy didn't know what to do to help her any longer.

Needless to say Darcy was surprised when she returned to the apartment to find that Jane had gone out on a date. She would be thankful of that fact but she couldn't see it ending well, knowing that Jane was still holding a candle for Thor, even though he hadn't been to Earth (that they knew of) in a year and hadn't seen him in two. Of course, that's when she noticed the small machine that looked a bit like a game-boy was beeping.


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jane gets a job offer and while she is sometimes oblivious she is not an idiot. In other words, Darcy and Jane finally make it to New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I've been saying this over and over but it bears repeating: It will get worse before it gets better. Don't worry, this is the last blow Darcy is going to face (or at least that's the way I planned it). After this things are finally going to be revealed and things will get better.
> 
> Please don't kill me for where I ended the chapter, it was just the perfect spot with what comes next.

Jane blinked in surprise at her ringing cellphone. She could have sworn she turned it off. After the Convergence the entire scientific community had taken notice of her work and was now clamoring for her to speak on her research. It felt good to be vindicated but at the same time she was a little tired of dealing with them. Hence, turning off her cellphone. She stared at the New York area code another moment before answering. "Hello?"

"Dr. Jane Foster?" A male voice asked, not surprising.

"Yes, this is Jane Foster."

"Hi, Tony Stark. Listen, what would it take for you to come work for me here in New York?"

Jane pulled the phone from her ear to stare at it before bringing it back up and asking "what?"

"I'm willing to fund all of your research, provide anything you need, tech, travel expenses included, yadayadayada."

"Why?" Jane was suspicious, the offer was too good to be true and coming out of nowhere.

"Honestly? With the collapse of SHIELD I'm trying to get the band back together. You might have heard of us, The Avengers? Stopped an alien invasion a couple of years ago? Your boyfriend is a member. Thing is he doesn't want to stick around full time because he'd rather be with you, not that I can blame him for that."

"So you only want me for my connection to Thor?" Jane huffed out, disconcerted.

"Did I say that? I didn't say that. I mean, yeah, that's a big selling point. But Stark Industries is always looking for brilliant minds, and you are the leading expert in your field."

"Stark Industries doesn't do any work in astrophysicists," Jane pointed out.

"So we're branching out. We're always looking to expand into new areas. C'mon, what do you say?"

"What's to stop you from just claiming control of anything I discover while working for you?" That was a big worry for Jane. She had heard too many horror stories of those working for big corporations having their life work stolen from them.

"Seriously? How would we manage to keep any of our scientists if we did what you're worried about." Stark's voice was filled with disgust. "I'll email you our standard contract. Suffice it to say, you would retain complete control of all of your research and discoveries, and the right to publish it. Any practical applications of said discovery would be licensed through SI with you receiving royalties from the profits."

Jane glanced up as Darcy entered the apartment, grocery bags filling her arms. She gestured to the phone and Darcy nodded. "Okay, I'll read over the contract. If it is what you claim then we have a deal. On one condition."

"Name it."

"My assistant Darcy Lewis." Jane saw Darcy turn to stare at her curiously at the mention of her name. She waited a moment but Stark didn't give any reaction to the name. "Non-negotiable, she comes with me. You want me, you get her. And she gets full salary and benefits."

"Not a problem. Jeez, is that all Foster? You're a cheap date. Okay, contract is in your email. Read it over, sign it, then contact SI and we'll arrange your flight details and moving your equipment. See you soon."

Jane stared at the phone for a moment after the call disconnected.

"Jane, who was that?"

Jane sighed, knowing the upcoming conversation would be full of minefields. "Tony Stark." She watched Darcy's face close off as she knew it would, as it always did at the mention of the man. She had her suspicions as to why. Perhaps she should finally mention them.

"Why did it sound like you just negotiated employment, for both of us?" Darcy's face was like stone, giving nothing away. But her eyes, her eyes told a tale of hurt, of anger.

"Nothing's finalized but I was made an offer, one that I think we should seriously consider."

  
"By Tony Stark," Darcy said flatly.

"I know you have your problems with him-"

"Problems? Ha! That's an understatement if there ever was one."

"Look, everyone ends up going through rough periods with their parents. That doesn't mean we shouldn't-" Jane cut herself off as Darcy paled and swayed a bit. She hurried to the younger woman's side to steady her. "Darcy! Are you alright?"

"W-what did you just say?" Darcy stared at her, wide-eyed.

Jane braced herself. "That everyone goes through rough patches with their parents. I mean, he is your father isn't he?"

"How?" Darcy gaped at her.

"I'm not an idiot. You talk about your mom sometimes but never your father. You always try to avoid any mention of Tony Stark but if something does come up you get really quiet. I saw you during New York and the Mandarin, when you thought he was dead. You were hurt, terrified. Then there's your skill with technology even though you never took a single engineering course. And you kind of look like him, a little. Maybe more like his parents from the pictures I've seen." Jane shrugged.

Darcy slumped against her. "He doesn't want anything to do with me, he never has," she confessed brokenly. "I'm pretty sure he hates me."

Jane tried to reassure her. "I'm sure that's not true."

"Okay, maybe hate is a strong word. He would have to acknowledge that I exist to hate me." Darcy's voice was bitter. "He only ever provided for me financially, and then I found out after my mother's funeral that it wasn't even him that did that much."

"So he had someone else take care of the details, doesn't mean he didn't arrange it."

Darcy stared at her blank-eyed. "I found out when the lawyer he sent after I buried my mother served me with papers that showed the money was illegally obtained by my 'Uncle Obie', his chief financial officer, and that I was lucky I wasn't being sued for the return of the money."

Jane's mouth dropped open in shock. "Okay, that's, that's really bad. I'm sorry." She had not expected to hear something like that. She'd suspected that they had their problems but Thor always spoke so highly of the Man of Iron. She ran a hand through her hair. "Look, you say the word and I'll turn down the offer."

Darcy shrugged. "We should at least look over the contract first."

"Are you sure?" At Darcy's nod Jane pulled up the contract. It was everything Stark had promised. Her research, everything would be protected. Jane itched to sign it. But-

"It is a really great offer," Darcy said, glancing at Jane. "You're not going to find a better one, not one that lets you keep total control of your work."

"But I won't accept without you," Jane told her. "And I'm not going to make you face a situation like that."

Darcy shook her head and gave her a weak smile. "It's okay. And besides, what are the chances I'm going to even cross his path anyway? I mean, what does Tony Stark know about astrophysics?"

"If you're sure." Jane printed out the contract and signed it. "I'll send this to Stark Industries then contact them about the flight details and equipment movers. You see about starting to pack up the lab." She reached out and squeezed the younger woman's shoulder. "Hey, everything will be just fine, I promise."

\---------------------------

Darcy sighed as she and Jane exited the taxi in front of Avengers Tower in New York. It had been a long flight from England and she just wanted to lay down for a bit but they still needed to check in with security and get their clearances for the building. With a groan she grabbed her two bags as Jane did the same with her own, thankful they had decided to pack light and let the movers handle shipping everything else. Darcy was very grateful that Jane had been impressed by the care the men had taken with her equipment. "Who are we supposed to meet?"

Jane shrugged. "It didn't really say, just that we should check in at the reception desk and we'd be directed where to go."

"Great," Darcy muttered as she followed Jane inside.

"Hi," Jane said as they reached the reception desk at the front of the giant lobby, "I'm Dr. Jane Foster and this is my assistant, Darcy Lewis."

The woman behind the desk, Jessica according to her name-tag, smiled. "Yes Dr. Foster, we've been expecting you. If you could both just provide some identification I'll clear you through."

Jane and Darcy rummaged in their bags before producing their passports. Jessica took them with a polite smile and began typing. She quickly handed Jane's back but frowned at something on her screen as she held onto Darcy's. "Excuse me one moment." She turned and reached for a phone.

Darcy glanced uneasily at Jane. She didn't like the cold look the receptionist was suddenly giving her as she spoke quietly into the receiver.

After a few moments Jessica placed the handset down but still made no move to wave them on their way.

"Is there a problem?" Jane asked.

Jessica gave her that same polite smile. "You are free to go on up Dr. Foster. However, Miss Lewis is not." Jessica turned to Darcy. "Are you going to leave quietly or do I need to have security escort you out?"

"What? Why?"

Jessica only continued to give Darcy a cold look. "You are aware that your presence here is a violation of a no-contact order you signed, aren't you Miss Lewis? You do realize that by breaching that agreement you will be faced with the maximum financial penalty?" An ugly look of disgust crossed the otherwise pretty woman's face. "That contract is for those who have been caught stealing from SI in the past but deemed not worth the effort of the lawsuit. Really Miss Lewis, you should have just stayed away from Stark Industries. Now I ask again, are you going to leave quietly or do I need to call security?" She gestured to the two large men who had arrived while she was speaking and were now standing off to the side.

Darcy could only stand there and stare. What was happening? No-contact order? She remembered the document the lawyer had made her sign after her mother's death and the blood drained from her face. "But I didn't contact SI," she protested weakly.

"Your presence here is clearly proof to the contrary. I would suggest that you hire an attorney. Now since you haven't left on your own I have no choice but to have security escort you out." Jessica gestured and the two men stepped to either side of Darcy.

"Wait!" Jane cried, trying to step between them and Darcy. Failing that she turned back to the receptionist. "There has to be some sort of mistake. One of the terms of my agreement with Stark was that my assistant was also hired."

Jessica snorted. "Stark Industries doesn't employ thieves, especially thieves who have already stolen from us once. You must not have mentioned your assistant's name. She never would have been cleared for employment."

But Jane had. Darcy clearly remembered hearing Jane tell her father her full name over the phone when she had made the agreement. So why was this happening? Unless it was his plan all along? Had he always planned to sue her? Darcy swayed at the thought and one of the security personnel grasped her arm. But why? The money was a drop in the bucket to Tony Stark. So the only thing he had to gain was her complete humiliation and financial ruin. Did he really hate her that much? Her legs nearly buckled beneath her, only the strong grip of the security guard keeping her upright.

"Come on Miss, no theatrics. Let's just leave peacefully," he told her as he started walking her to the door, his partner following with her bags.

Darcy made no attempt to resist. She was too numb. The last thing she registered as she left the building was Jane's angry voice loudly demanding for Tony Stark to come down and face her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author nervously ducks away from upset readers. Sorry, I'm already working on the next chapter I promise. Author runs and hides away.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was amazed by the response to the last chapter. Only up a couple of hours and I think I had more comments than most of the rest of the fic combined. Well here you go, I did promise to get the next chapter up as fast as I could. And here's Tony, hope you all enjoy Jane's reaction.
> 
> Tony's reaction will be next chapter, Jane and Steve kind of stole the show here. There are hints of possible ShieldShock here but I am not planning any romance in this story. Maybe in the future.
> 
> Oh and thanks Barisitrash for helping me with some insults.

Jane Foster had never been so furious in her life. "Get Tony Stark down here right this instant!" she demanded of the receptionist.

"Please stop making a scene Dr. Foster," Jessica, the receptionist, tried to calm her down. "Mr. Stark is a very busy man but you have been cleared for access to the upper floors if you wish to go speak with him."

"I will not stop making a scene! Tell that bastard son of a bilge-snipe to get his spineless ass down here!" Jane went into an insulting rant on Tony Stark, using every insult she could think of, including a few she had learned from Thor. She took no notice of the blonde man or redheaded woman who had appeared and were standing off to the side.

"Whoa, I've been called worse but normally I at least have the pleasure of meeting the lady first, usually quite intimately," the man in question stated as he approached from the elevator banks. "Dr. Foster? I was told that there was a problem?" He gave her a smug grin. "It can't be the accommodations as you haven't even gone upstairs yet."

"You bet there's a problem you pompous asshole!" She marched right up to the man, pulled her arm back and swung, her fist hitting him square in the eye. She noted with satisfaction that he stumbled back a few steps. She didn't notice the blonde man stop the redhead from acting or the security personnel who had appeared during her rant shifting nervously as the man before her waved them off. "We had a deal Stark! I only had one condition and you agreed! Then you pull this crap?! What kind of a man are you?!" She gave him a look of disgust.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Stark started to say, wincing as he gently touched his eye. Jane noticed with a burst of vindictive satisfaction that it was already swelling up.

"Don't try that with me Stark! I'm on to you and your games! You're such a sorry sack of shit that you'd probably have your own mother thrown into jail! You use one contract to get someone here and then you declare them in breach of another?" Her eyes widened and she sneered at him. "Was that your plan all along? Were you going to find some loophole to find me in violation of my contract and claim all rights to my work?"

"What? No!" Stark gave her a confused look as he vehemently denied her accusation.

"Yeah, like I'm going to believe you after what you just did to Darcy! If that's the way you do business I don't know how you can get anyone to trust you. You can take your job offer and shove it!" She snatched her bags off of the ground and stormed to the exit.

She didn't catch Stark's confused "What just happened?"

\----------------------------

Steve was returning to the Tower after a late lunch when he noticed her. He didn't know what made him notice her sitting there on the sidewalk, a couple of suitcases beside her. It wasn't the security guards watching from just outside the doors of the Tower. No, if he had to put a finger on it it would be the glassy-eyed stare of someone who had just had their world ripped away from them. It was a look he recognized from the mirror after waking from the ice. "Miss? Are you alright?" He frowned as she continued to sit there with no apparent awareness of her surroundings or his presence, just blankly staring at nothing.

He glanced around but nobody else seemed to show any concern for her. Typical of this century, he thought with disgust before kneeling next to her and trying again. "Miss? Can you hear me?" He noted with concern that she was exhibiting signs of shock though thankfully he noted no apparent wounds as his eyes swept up and down her body.

And it was a very nice body, he noted appreciatively before pushing the thought away. She was dressed much more conservatively than most women her age do these days he noted absently. His concern rose as he noted the slight tremors racking her body and he reached out a hand to place on her arm. "Miss? I'm going to touch your arm." He was interrupted before he could make contact.

"Hey! Get the hell away from her!"

He looked up to see another woman storming up to him furiously. She dropped her bags in order to attempt to shove him away from the woman on the ground. He quickly stood and took a step back. At least he recognized this woman. "Dr. Foster?" She frowned at him and he held out his hand. "Steve Rogers. I'm a friend of Thor's. He's mentioned you a few times." He saw her glance suspiciously from him to the woman on the ground. "I just wanted to make sure she was alright." He let his honest concern show on his face.

She eyed him a moment longer before relaxing and shaking his hand, if briefly. "He's said a few things about you as well. Darcy?" Dr. Foster knelt and turned her attention to the other woman. Getting no response she moved closer and wrapped her arms around her.

That got a response. "Jane?" Darcy slurred out, staring out at the scientist as tears began to gather in her eyes. "Why does he hate me?"

Dr. Foster obviously had no response to the question and simply held the other woman tighter. Steve frowned, wondering who 'he' was. He recognized the name of the woman. Thor had spoken of her as well, calling her his 'lightning sister' who had managed to fell him with his own element. But he was having trouble reconciling the brash, lively woman from Thor's tales with the obviously heart-broken woman before him now.

"What happened? Can I do anything to help?"

Dr. Foster turned her head to glare at him. "Oh, we've had enough help from your teammate today," she hissed out.

Steve found his frown deepening. "But Thor isn't even here," he pointed out.

"Not Thor," she said, eyes flashing dangerously. "Stark!"

Steve resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Of course it had to be something Tony had done. "Look, I don't know what happened but there must have been some misunderstanding. Why don't you come inside and I'll try to get this mess sorted."

That only seemed to make Dr. Foster angrier and Darcy more upset. "I don't think we'd be very welcome. They already tossed Darcy out once and would probably do the same to me after I decked Stark."

Steve and Darcy found themselves staring at the small scientist. "Jane, you did that for me?" Darcy asked before finally breaking into tears. "Why does my father hate me Jane? What did I do?"

Steve was confused about the sudden mention of the woman's father. What did that have to do with the situation? But he couldn't stand to see her in tears. So while Dr. Foster tried to comfort her he pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and held it out to her. "Here." He waited for her to calm before trying again. "Look, we'll go up to my floor. You won't have to deal with Tony at all but I can't in good conscience leave you two here like this. And that's not even counting how Thor would react if I did."

The women exchanged a glance before Dr. Foster nodded in agreement. He grabbed their bags while Dr. Foster supported her friend and led them to the private Avengers entrance. It opened right into the elevator with direct access to the upper floors. He frowned when it didn't immediately start moving. "JARVIS?"

"I am sorry Captain Rogers, but I am not sure it is wise for your current companions to accompany you inside. One of them has been banned from all Stark property and the other just assaulted Mr. Stark." If JARVIS could sound disapproving, he did at that moment.

Steve felt his frown deepening. "I was under the impression that our personal floors were our own and we could have whatever guests we wanted. So I don't see the connection to Stark Industries." When the elevator still didn't move he tried again. "Look, they'll stay on either Thor's or my floor and won't go anywhere near Tony or SI. But I believe it's important to get this matter cleared up before Thor returns."

The AI hesitated a moment longer then the doors finally slid closed and the elevator began it's ascent. "An excellent point Captain Rogers. I find your suggestion satisfactory." When the doors opened on Steve's floor the AI added, "and Ms. Potts is already looking into the matter."

Steve smiled slightly at that. He was well-aware of how efficient Ms. Potts was. "Then I'm sure everything will be cleared up shortly."

"Indeed," was JARVIS' reply.

"But in the mean time I want to establish privacy settings for my floor." After receiving JARVIS' acknowledgement of the request, Steve turned to the women and gestured to the couch and chairs. "Please make yourselves comfortable." As they sat on the couch he entered the kitchen area and returned with a couple of bottles of water. "Here."

"Thank you," Darcy mumbled before taking a small sip.

Steve gave her an encouraging smile. "Not a problem." He took a seat in the armchair across from them. "Maybe you can explain what happened earlier that had you so upset, if you don't mind my asking, that is?"

Dr. Foster merely began to mutter darkly as angry look crossed her face but Darcy's expression crumpled once more. "My father hates me. It's the only explanation for his wanting to see me broke and humiliated. The money's gone, how am I supposed to pay it back?" The last was directed into Steve's handkerchief.

Steve was confused. "I'm afraid I don't-" He cut himself off as he looked at Darcy, really taking in the features of her face. He had unfortunately become quite adept at spotting family resemblance to his old friends. "You have your grandfather Howard's chin." She looked up at him in shock. "Tony is your father." It wasn't a question but she nodded anyway. He took a deep breath then released it slowly. "Okay, now walk me through what happened earlier, step by step. Let's see if we can't get to the bottom of it."

And so Dr. Foster began to explain just what happened downstairs. He had to interrupt her a few times as she would become angry with the telling, he was beginning to see just what his teammate saw in her. But his eyes kept straying to the forlorn figure beside her who remained silent throughout the tale.

Steve shook his head as Dr. Foster finished telling the events from her point of view. "That doesn't sound like Tony at all. I'm not doubting your story," he assured her upon spotting her angry expression, "I'm just saying that it doesn't make any sense."

"The story of my life," Darcy muttered bitterly.

"If I may, Ms. Potts has discovered the source of the misunderstanding. She would like to come and clear the air, that is, if it is alright with you and your guests Captain Rogers."

Steve turned to the two women. "Ladies?" He watched them exchange a look before Darcy nodded. "That would be fine JARVIS. But only Ms. Potts, let's leave Tony out of it until we hear what she has to say."

"Ms. Potts has already told sir as much," Jarvis replied dryly.

Steve turned to the women once more. "There is a bathroom through there if you would like to wash your face."

Darcy gave him a grateful smile before standing and heading to the indicated room. She returned a few moments later, her face freshly scrubbed and devoid of all of the tear-streaked make-up.

Steve again was struck by the thought of how beautiful she was before it was pushed to the back of his mind by the arrival of Ms. Potts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Steve (and presumably JARVIS) now know Darcy's parentage. I promise Tony will find out next chapter as we will cover his POV from just after Jane storms out of the lobby. I hope the fast update helps with some of the feels.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pepper investigates. Tony gets a startling revelation and reminder of his past.
> 
> Please read the author's notes for trigger warnings. I understand that somethings mentioned might be triggering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand that some of the contents of this chapter may be triggering for some readers so I am going to attempt to warn here. I will also include additional warnings at the bottom that contain spoilers if you feel the need to read them before reading the chapter. Please don't read the chapter if you feel that any of this is triggering.
> 
> Warning: Mention of an Asexual character who dislikes sex having possibly dub-con sex. The character does give consent and has sex in order to provide comfort to another character but it is known that the asexual character dislikes sex so the other character believes the sex to be dub-con at best, rape (though not by that name) at worst. The other character is drunk so that is also dub-con.

Pepper Potts was in her office reviewing the most recent budget requests when JARVIS alerted her that there seemed to be an incident taking place in the lobby. She frowned. "What type of incident?" It must be serious if JARVIS was informing her.

"Dr. Foster has arrived but her companion was flagged in the system due to an active no-contact agreement."

Pepper's brow furrowed in thought. "Who?" She glanced at the image that appeared on her monitor of a young woman in her early to mid-twenties. "That can't be right, what could she have possibly done to warrant a no-contact order?" She didn't recall any being issued recently.

"Other than the no-contact agreement I do not have any record of Miss Lewis in connection with Stark Industries. My records indicate that the order was filed several years ago, shortly after the incident with Mr. Stane." Pepper didn't miss the anger in JARVIS' voice. "However the reason isn't indicated."

Pepper closed her eyes briefly. Of course it went back to Stane. Years later and they were still cleaning up his mess. "Who was responsible for the agreement?"

"My records indicate it was filed by Jeffrey Michaels in the legal department. Additionally, he is currently gathering the file on Miss Lewis to proceed with the breach of the agreement."

"Tell him to wait on that. In fact, have him come to my office immediately with that file. I want to know what this is about."

"He is on the way." JARVIS paused. "I feel I should let you know that security has escorted Miss Lewis out but Dr. Foster is currently causing a commotion in the lobby."

"Of course she is," Pepper sighed. She knew from Tony's comments that the only condition Dr. Foster had had was the inclusion of her assistant. What a mess.

"I have also informed Sir and he is on his way down now."

"I'm sure that's going to go so well," Pepper said dryly, waving the nervous man who had appeared at her door into the office. "Mr. Michaels?"

"Yes Ma'am," he said, nervously clutching a folder in his hands.

"Is that the file?" At his nod she held out her hand for it. He stared at her outstretched hand for a moment before placing the file into it. "Now, what can you tell me about Darcy Lewis and this no-contact agreement? Just why do we have an order against a young woman who has no other connection to this company?"

Michaels' swallowed nervously before speaking. "Shortly after you called all of us together for the audit of SI following Mr. Stane's death a series of payments to Elizabeth Lewis was discovered without mentioning for what. I went to archives and managed to find that file, though it had been misfiled, perhaps deliberately. It contained a non-disclosure agreement between Mr. Stane and Ms. Lewis as well as a copy of a positive paternity test."

"A paternity test?" Pepper was startled. She had not been expecting that.

Michaels nodded. "Yes, it seems that Mr. Stane was using SI funds to pay off his former lover and provide for his illegitimate child."

Pepper frowned and glanced down at the file. Something about that just didn't seem correct. She wouldn't put it past Stane to use SI funds that way but why the secrecy? He didn't have a wife or anyone to hide his indiscretions from. "And the paternity test named Obadiah Stane the father?"

Michaels fidgeted. "Well, I assume it did."

"What?!" Pepper's head shot up to pin him with a stern look. "You didn't check?" She opened the file and began paging through it. She found the positive result but kept looking for the rest of the report.

"Well who else would it be? Why else would Mr. Stane pay child support?"

But Pepper had her answer as she stared at the name of the father. Wordlessly she held the paper out to the attorney. She closed her eyes briefly as he read the information. This was going to devastate Tony. She reopened her eyes to see Mr. Michaels pale and then she took the paper back from him.

"B-but how? How could no one know? The first hint of a positive match to Tony Stark would have caused an uproar in the news."

Pepper fixed him with a stern glare. "No one knew because Obadiah Stane buried it. You should have read the entire file when you found it instead of just making assumptions." She watched the blood drain from his face. "Now you are to tell absolutely no one about this while I try to mitigate the damage. And you will report to my office first thing tomorrow so we can go over the rest of your work for this company and see what else you might have missed by taking shortcuts." Her glare sharpened. "The only reasons that I am not immediately firing you is that one, I will be busy trying to rectify your mistake, and two, I understand it was a hectic time and it was possible for things to slip through the cracks. Dismissed."

He shakily stumbled to the door as it opened, admitting Tony along with Natasha and Clint. He quckly hurried out after that. Pepper winced as she took in the sight of the darkening bruise over Tony's eye and moved to his side. "Are you alright?"

"Be better if I knew just why Foster hit me."

Pepper winced. This wasn't going to be pretty. "About that..."

\---------------------------------

Tony could only stare in confusion as the petite scientist stormed out of his Tower. "What just happened?" He glanced around the lobby but everyone else seemed as confused as he. He touched his eye and winced.

"Damn Stark, what did you do piss Foster off?" Clint asked as he and Natasha approached from where they had been observing the confrontation. "The last time I saw Foster anywhere near that angry was when SHIELD confiscated her research back in New Mexico. If it hadn't been for Selvig and her assistant I think she would have hauled off and hit them too. Damn, she got you good," he whistled, taking in the bruise already starting to form.

Natasha also inspected the injury. "I know you're shit with woman Stark but really? How did you piss her off that fast?"

"I have no idea what just happened," Tony replied honestly. He turned and spotted the receptionist standing by her desk. "You, what started this mess?"

"I'm sorry sir, but Dr. Foster became extremely irate when I had to have security escort her assistant out of the building. She was in breach of a no-contact agreement."

Tony frowned, wincing again when it caused his eye to protest. "Damn, Foster's only condition of employment was her assistant."

Clint shook his head. "Well that would do it. You don't mess with anything Jane Foster considers hers, especially her assistant. I know a couple of guys who learned that the hard way."

Tony turned and headed for the elevator. "I've got to figure out what is going on."

The other two joined him. "Yes, especially before Thor gets back and finds out what happened," Natasha told him. "Haven't you heard the stories he tells about Foster's assistant? He calls her his sister."

Tony paled. "Shit."

"Ms. Potts is already working on it Sir, if you would proceed to her office?" JARVIS started the elevator moving to the indicated floor without waiting for a response.

Reaching his destination he raised an eyebrow when the two former spies followed him, though he wasn't really surprised.

Natasha shrugged. "Need to make sure you don't screw up the team."

"I am overwhelmed by your faith in me," he told her sarcastically. He turned to Clint. "And you birdbrain?

"I just want to see what caused Foster to get that pissed off."

Tony shook his head and led them to Pepper's office where a pale man was stumbling out the door. Tony didn't really give him any notice as he reassured a concerned Pepper that he was alright while voicing his confusion.

"About that," Pepper said, wincing. "Tony, sit down."

Tony frowned, again wincing. "Pepper?" He didn't like her tone. That was her bad news tone. Her 'the stock has dropped to zero' tone.

"Tony please," she pleaded.

He sat.

"I just had a meeting with Mr. Michaels, the attorney who filed the no-contact agreement with Miss Lewis. Apparently when we had that audit a few years ago he found that payments were being made from SI to Miss Lewis' mother. Upon further investigation he found a paternity test. A positive paternity test, and a non-disclosure agreement between the woman and Stane."

Tony furrowed his brow as he listened to her, barely noticing the look Clint and Natasha exchanged at the mention of a paternity test. "So, what? Obie was using company funds to support his bastard?"

"Tony."

That wasn't her exasperated tone for his language. He didn't know the tone she used. It was worse than any other he'd ever heard from her. It made him shut up and pay attention.

"Tony, the test wasn't against Stane's DNA. It was against yours."

His heart pounded in his ears and he leaped to his feet. "What? No, there's never been a positive match, ever. We have a whole department devoted to looking into the claims. I would know if there had been a positive match." He didn't hear Clint snort at the mention of the department. He wasn't hearing much of anything at this point. Except for Pepper.

"Except that there was. Look."

Numbly he took the papers from her, staring at the words positive match. "It's got to be a trick, something Obie planned but didn't get a chance to put into play," he said as he flipped to the next page and saw his own name and that of the child in question, Darcy Lewis. "No way this is-" His voice cut off as his eyes strayed across the paper and landed on the name of the mother. Elizabeth Lewis. His eyes widened as something clenched in his chest. It couldn't be.

"JARVIS, picture." His creation knew immediately what he meant and a picture from earlier in the lobby formed in the air. He stared at the image displayed. There was no mistaking those eyes or the resemblance to Lizzie. He could even see a hint of himself in the younger woman's features. "Her birthday, it would be what, September or October of 1989?"

Tony barely heard JARVIS' confirmation. The papers slipped from his fingers as his vision darkened. He took a step back, the back of his legs hitting the couch he had just vacated and he all but collapsed onto it. Why was it suddenly hard to breathe? What was that vise around his chest? One hand automatically clutched at his chest as his eyes glazed over in memory. He didn't hear the concerned shouts of his name or feel the worried hands upon his body, too lost in the sudden onslaught of memories.

Elizabeth Lewis. Lizzie. That was a name he hadn't heard or thought of in a long time. She had been a friend, one of his only true ones. They'd met in MIT, sharing a course or two. He'd been impressed by programming skills. But she had been painfully shy, almost completely introverted, in no small part thanks to her very strict and old-fashioned family. She was nothing like he'd been used to and he'd found his interest peaked. He'd taken the time to draw her out of her shell, though all of his advances had been turned down flat. She'd confessed to him once later on in their friendship that she had never felt attracted to anyone, that any acts of a sexual nature made her uncomfortable. She thought there must be something wrong with her. Tony had tried to convince her there was nothing wrong with her but she had never been convinced. So instead he told her to never let anyone force her into doing anything she found uncomfortable. He'd learned later that she was asexual, on the more extreme side of it, having absolutely no interest in sex.

Instead they'd become friends, working together on several projects. Hell, he'd used parts of things he'd learned from her when he created JARVIS. Then his parents accident. The dark spiral he went into after. She had tried so hard to pull him out.

_Flashback_

_"Come on Tony, I think you've had enough." Hands tried to pull the bottle out of his grip but he held on._

_"No! Leave me alone!" he snarled._

_"You don't mean that," Lizzie said._

_"The hell I don't!" He emphasized his point by throwing the bottle at the wall, though nowhere near her. She flinched as it shattered. "I'm always alone in the end. Everyone leaves."_

_"Not me," she told him, stepping closer. "I'm still here." She wrapped her arms around him._

_He clung to her, needing the human contact. Later, he didn't know if it was the alcohol that caused him to act or something else, they'd never had that type of relationship. But he ended up kissing her. He felt her freeze against him. "Please," he muttered brokenly. "I need, I need." He didn't know what he needed, what he wanted. Only that he was hurting and wanted it to stop._

_"Shh," she said, hands trailing over his body. "It's alright."_

_They ended up on the couch. He couldn't remember most of what followed, just certain sensations, mostly the brief cessation of utter despair and loneliness that had gripped him, her repeated mumbles of "It's okay", the wetness on her cheeks._

_He came to the next morning lying half on top of her on the couch, naked. The tear tracks down her face told the story of what he had done, what he had ruined. How many times had he told her not to let anyone pressure her into something she wasn't comfortable with? And then what had he done? He couldn't face her, telling her to get out and leaving himself when she refused. He really was a monster, he couldn't taint her any further._

_And thus his spiral deepened, sending him further into alcohol and the arms of willing women as he attempted to forget what he had done._

_End Flashback_

That was the last he had seen of her. Oh, she had tried to call, tried to get in contact with him but he had ignored her, hung up if her calls somehow got through, returned her letters unopened, refused to see her. He didn't deserve to see her, not after he forced his unwanted attention onto her. After he ruined her life. And now It appeared he had ruined her life even worse than he had originally thought.

A sudden pain against his cheek as his head snapped to the side drew him back to the present. "Ow, did you just slap me?" He stared incredulously at Natasha. "What, you decided to make my face symmetrical?" he asked, ignoring her fingers against his pulse point.

"Oh thank God," Pepper said in relief, sinking down against his side. "Tony, you weren't responding. You were gray. I thought you were having a heart attack."

"No, just realizing how much more of a screw up I am." He covered his face with his hands, wincing as he touched the forgotten bruise. "JARVIS, do we have any contact information for Elizabeth Lewis? If I'm going to try to fix this mess then I should start with her."

"I am sorry Sir, but records show the elder Ms. Lewis to be deceased."

"What? When? How?" He didn't notice the worried looks exchanged around him.

"According to the records Ms. Lewis was diagnosed with late stages of cancer in 2009. She passed away at the very beginning of 2010."

"Shit." He frowned and reached for the file he'd dropped, glancing quickly through the rest of the contents. He gaped before a furious look took over his features. "They served a grieving kid with a no-contact order?!"

"Tony, I'll take care of that. You need to worry about Darcy."

Darcy. His daughter. He was a father. Well, crap. "I need a drink," he said suddenly. Standing, he headed toward the bar on the side of the office.

"Tony, no!" Pepper called out but he ignored her.

Clint stepped into his path and refused to move. "Come on Stark, I know that this is a lot to take in. But do you really want your first meeting with your kid to be while your drunk? Or hungover?"

Tony gave a bitter laugh. "She probably hates me. She'd be right to hate me." He shoved his hands through his hair.

Natasha tilted her head at him. "Would she even be aware that you're her father? If Stane was trying to hide it?"

"Lizzie would have told her, I have no doubt about that. What else she told her I have no idea. But yeah, either way she's got to hate me at this point." He tugged at his hair.

"If I may Sir, Miss Lewis has expressed no such emotion toward you. The only emotions I can say she has expressed in relation to yourself are hurt and confusion."

Tony stopped tugging at his hair. "J? How do you know what emotions she's expressed? I thought she'd left." After being thrown out went unsaid.

JARVIS hesitated before replying. "She did leave the building Sir, however Captain Rogers stumbled across her as he was returning. He was concerned over her apparent distress and he recognized Dr. Foster when she joined them. He then refused to let either woman leave while so upset, at least until matters had been settled. The ladies are currently his guests on his floor." The AI hesitated then added, "While Captain Rogers' privacy protocols are in effect I do feel it is necessary to confirm that Miss Lewis has confirmed her knowledge of her paternity."

Tony turned and headed for the door only to stop dead in his tracks. What on Earth could he possibly say to her? Hell, Foster probably wouldn't even let him get in the door, let alone anywhere near the girl. Not that he could blame her. A sound of frustration escaped him.

"JARVIS? Would you please ask Captain Rogers and his guests if I may come up and try to clear the air?" Pepper asked. After the AI replied that her request had been granted she turned to Tony. "Let me try to explain things to them Tony. Then we'll see if she is willing to speak with you, alright?"

Tony nodded, his mind racing with thoughts. Should he attempt to listen in on her conversation?

Pepper eyed him speculatively for a moment. "Do not attempt to hack into JARVIS' feeds," she warned. "I will ask if it is okay for JARVIS to relay the contents of our conversation to you but don't disregard their right to privacy right now. If they say no I will tell you what happened when I return."

Tony nodded again, this time with an air of defeat. He didn't notice the look Pepper traded with his fellow Avengers before she departed, but he did find himself seated on the couch once more, this time with a former spy on either side. "You don't have to stay."

Clint bumped his shoulder against his. "Hush you, this is what teammates do for one another."

  
"More importantly," Natasha said, bumping against his other shoulder, "it's what friends do for one another."

Tony swallowed thickly. "Thanks," he rasped out, trying not to dwell on the meeting taking place a few floors up. He didn't succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Additional warnings.
> 
> Okay, we get into some of the history between Tony and Elizabeth Lewis here. They were friends at MIT but Elizabeth was very shy and had trouble making friends. Tony did hit on her a few times but she always turned him down and they became friends. She has never been attracted to either sex, and any acts of a sexual nature make her extremely uncomfortable. She didn't know it at the time but she was asexual.
> 
> Tony has a flashback to a time after his parents death. He is extremely drunk and feeling alone in the world. Elizabeth is pleading with him to stop drinking, he demands she leave and she refuses, embraces him as he sobs against her. Then he starts to kiss her. She freezes and he begs for something though he doesn't know what he needs or wants. Elizabeth comforts him and they have sex though no acts are detailed. The next morning Tony wakes up naked on top of her and thinks he forced her into it because he knows she doesn't like sex and it was obvious that she had been crying. He then cuts all contact, believing he had ruined the life of one of his only true friends with his selfish act. But Elizabeth did consent even though she didn't like sex, she went along with it in order to comfort her friend.
> 
> I tried to explain all of this in the story without being explicit. Please go easy on Tony here as he was going through a really bad time when that flashback takes place.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are had. Obadiah Stane's true treachery is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you for all of the comments on the previous chapter. It was received a lot better than I expected. I was really afraid that it wouldn't be well-received or I would lose readers over it.
> 
> Next, I am not really happy with this chapter. It may not seem like it with how quickly I am posting it after the previous one but I struggled more with this chapter than any other. Something about it does not feel right to me, it feels forced in places but I can't think of another way to get the information out. So if anyone has any suggestions for improvements please don't hesitate to voice them. I would love some constructive criticism.
> 
> That out of the way be prepared to learn the true depths of Obie's treachery. I'm sure many of you will be cursing the fact that he is already dead and can't be punished.
> 
> Edited to fix an issue with the birth certificate plot. Thanks to Ainokesshou30, CodenameCarrot, and Liebekatze for pointing out a couple of facts and making me think things through a bit better. I believe any further discrepancies can, hopefully, be waved away under plot device and author's prerogative.

Pepper took a deep breath as the doors opened, admitting her to Steve's floor. She gave the man a small smile as he stood to greet her. "Ms. Potts." Despite the seriousness of the situation she took the time to raise a single eyebrow at him, inwardly delighted when he blushed and corrected himself. "Pepper, thank you for coming."

"Thank you for allowing me to come." She turned to the two woman who had stood from the couch they had been seated upon and held out her hand, slightly relieved when they each took it in turn. "Dr. Foster, Miss Lewis, I am Pepper Potts. It's a pleasure to meet you though I am very sorry about the circumstances." She noted Dr. Foster's scoff of disbelief but her main focus was on the younger woman. It was obvious that she had been crying though she had washed most of the evidence away. Pepper noted with approval that though she wore a skeptical expression she was clearly willing to listen, at least for the moment.

"I'm sorry if I find that a little hard to believe, given the circumstances," Darcy finally said.

Pepper nodded. "And you are well-entitled to that given what I've been told of earlier events. You have my sincerest apologies for that."

The younger woman tilted her head in curiosity. "Do you often find yourself apologizing for another's actions?"

"More often than I would like, less often than I used to," Pepper answered, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Steve shifted from where he had been standing nearby. "Would anyone care for something to drink?" As they each replied in the negative he nodded. "Then I think I'll let you ladies talk in private." He made to leave the room but a small hand grasped his arm, stopping him.

All eyes turned to Darcy and she blushed. "Please stay? At least in case we need a witness? Or a referee," she muttered under her breath.

"I promise that that should be unnecessary, however a neutral third party might be a good idea," Pepper said. She turned to Steve. "That is, if you don't mind remaining?"

Steve glanced at each of the three women. "If you are sure that you don't mind my presence?" At their agreements he settled back down into his chair.

Pepper took a seat in another chair facing the couch where Darcy and Dr. Foster were sitting. "First of all I want you to know that the events from earlier are the result of a large misunderstanding, one that I hope will be cleared up shortly. But before we begin let me start off by reassuring you that there is no intention whatsoever to press forward with the breach of the no-contact agreement. In fact, the agreement itself is being completely rescinded. You will have no need to worry about any lawsuits Miss Lewis, I give you my personal promise." She watched as the young woman breathed a sigh of relief, her hand clasping Dr. Foster's. "Likewise Dr. Foster, I guarantee Tony will not be pressing any assault charges. You were well within your rights to defend your friend, even if you were acting under misinformation."

"What misinformation?" Dr. Foster asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"That falls under the misunderstanding I want to clear up. But before I start I have to make a request. You are under no obligation to grant it. In fact I urge you not to if it makes you uncomfortable."

The two women exchanged a look before gesturing her to continue.

Pepper took a deep breath. "Tony would like to be aware of the contents of this meeting." She held up a hand as they began to protest. "I don't mean he has to be physically present but with your permission he would listen in via JARVIS' feeds. And only with your permission, I have already warned him against listening if you deny the request."

Dr. Foster's suspicious look deepened. "And we're expected to believe that he won't listen in if we say no?"

"Trust me, Tony Stark will not go against me in this matter. Correct JARVIS?"

"Yes Ms. Potts, I will not allow Sir access without permission from all parties."

"And this is still my floor, ladies, so if you don't want him listening in I can activate the strongest privacy protocols. I have no doubt he could get around them but I doubt he wants to face the entire team's wrath if he does," Steve added earnestly.

Dr. Foster nodded thoughtfully before turning to Darcy. "It's up to you Darcy."

The younger woman chewed nervously on her lip. "I don't think I'm comfortable with him listening in right now," she said after a few minutes of thought.

"Then Tony will just have to wait until after the meeting is finished. You heard her JARVIS." Pepper hadn't really expected anything different. She waited for the AI's acknowledgement before meeting the gazes of the two women before her. "Now I have managed to piece together most of what happened earlier and the events that led to it. But I believe I am missing a few pieces. So if it's not too much trouble I would like to ask you a couple of questions before I explain what I know."

Darcy frowned at her. "What do you want to know?"

"How did you find out that Tony is your father?" Pepper wasn't expecting the younger woman to blush at that question.

"I, um, I hacked my mom's computer when I was about 7 or 8," she confessed. "I found the information there and later got confirmation from Mom and Uncle Obie."

Pepper inwardly cringed at the nickname for Stane, suddenly grateful that Tony wasn't listening in.

"Besides," the younger woman continued, "he's listed on my birth certificate."

Dr. Foster's brow furrowed at that. "No he's not."

"Uh, yes he is."

Dr. Foster shook her head. "No, I saw your birth certificate when we started applying for travel papers. The father is listed as unknown."

"What? But I've seen it," Darcy insisted.

"Wait, this I believe I can clear up." All eyes turned to Pepper once more. "You are aware of Tony's former reputation with the ladies?" At their nods and eye-rolls she continued. "Then I'm sure you can imagine how many have tried to claim he is the father of their child, even going so far as to try to name him on the birth certificate. You may or may not be aware but if someone is listed on the birth certificate, even if they are not the actual biological father, they can be held responsible for the financial upkeep of that child." She saw the looks of disbelief and anger that crossed the faces of the other three. "And it can be exceedingly difficult to remove your name from a birth certificate once it has been filed. So we long ago took precautions and filed an injunction stopping Tony from being named on any birth certificates without a positive DNA test."

"So the copy my mom had-"

"Must have been made after she received the DNA results," Pepper confirmed. "As for why subsequent copies list the father as unknown, well my suspicion is that someone used their influence to have Tony's name removed, not wanting your parentage to be known." Someone named Obadiah Stane, Pepper thought but did not say. It was not yet time to mention Stane's actions.

"Okay." Darcy mulled that over. She was confused as to why someone would go to that trouble but she was willing to let it go, for the moment at least. "What was your other question?"

"What do you know about the events that led to Tony building the suit and becoming Iron Man?"

"Not much. I know he got kidnapped in Afghanistan but that was when my mom was in the hospital so I wasn't paying much attention to the news. I mean, I was worried but my mom was my immediate concern. And then there was the news of his escape so I felt better about concentrating on her. But what does that have to do with any of this?"

"Quite a bit, I'm afraid." Pepper sighed. "There is no easy way to say this. I know what you've been led to believe but until today Tony had no knowledge of your existence, let alone the fact that you are his daughter." Pepper braced herself for the coming explosion.

"What?!"

\--------------------------

"What?!" Darcy and Jane asked incredulously.

Jane leaped to her feet, anger radiating from every inch of her. "If you are trying to cover for Stark's actions by claiming he didn't know you're a little late for that!"

Simultaneously Darcy was shaking her head. "That's not possible! He knew, I have a copy of the test results! And they were done through a department at Stark Industries. There's no way he didn't know! Besides, he had that lawyer serve me with papers. He had to know!"

"Ladies, please," Pepper raised her hands in a calming gesture. "I know that you're both upset and you have every right to be. But please let me explain."

Darcy eyed her for a moment. Under any other circumstances she would thrilled to be meeting Pepper Potts, a role model for all women. Darcy had always respected and looked up to the woman despite her connection to Tony Stark. But today had been horrible and now the woman was trying to deny something Darcy had known most of her life. But the woman across from her radiated sincere concern and honesty. So Darcy reached out and snagged Jane's hand, tugging her friend back down onto the couch. "We're listening."

"Thank you." Ms. Potts sighed. "Yes, the DNA was tested through SI. And yes, the results were delivered but they weren't delivered to Tony." She held up a hand to halt their protests. "I am sure you are aware of Tony's reputation prior to Afghanistan. He drank too much, partied too much, and slept around quite a bit, all without seeming to be concerned with the consequences of his actions. Afghanistan was a wake-up call for him but that doesn't negate his previous actions. One of the things he was unconcerned with was the paternity claims against him. He always maintained that he used protection and that he needn't worry until there was a positive match. And to his knowledge the results were always in the negative."

"But-"

Ms. Potts continued. "He was so sure of the negative results that he never paid any attention to the reports from the department responsible for looking into the claims. So instead the department began reporting to Obadiah Stane, who at the time was acting CEO until Tony was old enough to inherit."

"Uncle Obie?" Darcy asked. "But then he had to have shared the results with him." She watched the grimace pass over the CEO's face, not understanding the anger in her voice when she mentioned the man's name. "He always told me that my father was too busy and didn't want to draw attention to me because it would be dangerous. I stopped believing him after a while. Started thinking it was true to a point, that he didn't want to draw attention to me but only because he didn't want anyone to know that he had a kid he wanted nothing to do with." Darcy shook her head, forcing the old pain aside for the moment to pin the redhead with a glare. "Now you're trying to tell me that he never even told my father about me?" She scoffed in disbelief. "You're going to have to be a lot more convincing than you have been so far."

"I know. I am not sure how close you were to Obadiah Stane but it is clearly closer than I expected. Though I shouldn't really be surprised, he was close to Tony as well."

"He told me he's always been a close friend to the members of the Stark family," Darcy explained, not sure just where this conversation was going. What was the point in shifting the blame from Tony Stark to Obadiah Stane, other than attempting to absolve Stark of guilt in this mess. "I wasn't really close to him, he just insisted I call him that as a kid and it stuck, especially after I learned he was the one providing the money I always thought was from my father." She shrugged. "He only visited once or twice a year but we would get regular phone calls of him checking up on me."

Ms. Potts grimaced again. "There isn't a good way to tell you this. Bear with me please, I'm going to explain the best that I can." Darcy nodded and she continued. "Obadiah Stane was Howard Stark's partner in the company. After Howard's death he led the company until Tony was old enough to take over."

Darcy nodded, she knew all of this. But she didn't understand what it had to do with anything.

"Obadiah was the one who pushed for the company to remain in the weapons industry even after Tony wanted to branch out into other areas. He felt that the weapons provided the company's best profits. He also felt he deserved to be in charge instead of Tony."

Darcy's brow furrowed. "I know that it's Tony Stark's company but from what you've said about how he behaved maybe Uncle Obie was right? It would have been better if he was in charge?"

"I will not debate that point right now. Tony's behavior at that time left a lot to be desired but I don't think that Stane's hunger for profit and weapons was what was needed." Ms. Potts grimaced again. "After Tony returned from Afghanistan he discovered that Stane had been dealing weapons under the table, selling to both sides of the conflict. But it was worse than that. I hate to have tell you this part."

Ms. Potts looked Darcy in the eyes and the younger woman was struck by the sincerity in the other woman's gaze and found herself reaching for Jane's hands as she braced herself for what she knew was going to be bad news.

"Obadiah Stane was responsible for the terrorist attack on Tony's convoy. He paid them to kill Tony without telling them the identity of the man they were being paid to kill."

Darcy could only stare numbly in disbelief. She had not been expecting this. "No, you're lying!" But her protests were halfhearted. Ms. Potts' was being nothing but sincere.

Ms. Potts shook her head. "No I'm not. We have video proof of the ransom video the terrorists sent when they realized who they'd been ordered to kill. When Stane failed to pay they tried to force Tony to build them weapons. Instead he built the first suit and escaped after wiping out the camp."

Jane glared at her suspiciously. "Why isn't any of this known?"

"I'm sure you've seen the footage of Iron Man's battle with another suit from just before Tony's revealing press conference?" At their nods she continued. "Obadiah was inside that suit. He had recovered the original suit Tony used to escape and rebuilt it. The resulting battle caused a lot of damage." She sighed. "SHIELD made a really good point that it was best to keep things under wraps. They fabricated the story about the plane accident. SI went along with the story because we couldn't afford the bad press at the time or the news of Stane's double-dealing getting out. Not when we were trying to clean up that mess."

"But why? Why would he orchestrate this whole thing?" Darcy was confused but she could feel things starting to slot together in her mind. She didn't like the picture that was forming.

Ms. Potts shook her head. "We don't know. Our best guess is that he wanted the company but we don't know why he chose then to act."

Captain America, who until then had been sitting quietly to the side, took that moment to speak up. "If Tony had been killed in Afghanistan who would have inherited?"

A cold chill came over Darcy at his question as things clicked together in her mind.

Ms. Potts' brow furrowed. "Obadiah was the obvious beneficiary. The only others Tony was really close enough to were Rhodey and myself. I am not sure exactly what his will at the time entailed but it seems obvious he would have named Obadiah Stane to inherit. Though it still would have been a long-drawn out court battle as Stane was not related to Tony. It's likely that the government would have tried to seize control or at least gain a sizeable interest in the company without an heir to-" She cut herself off, her eyes widening in realization. "Oh my God!" She covered her mouth with her hands, turning to Darcy.

"That's why," Darcy said flatly. Too many things were suddenly making sense for her to ignore the truth of Ms. Potts' tale. "He had to have planned this for a long time. It's why he never revealed my existence. He was going to use me to maintain control of the company. After all, it already worked once with another Stark," she added, alluding to Obadiah Stane heading SI while Tony was underage. "And I wouldn't have grown up knowing the company so of course I would need his guidance."

Everyone was staring at her now, she wondered absently what her expression was revealing.

"It also explains why he chose then to act. My mom was in the hospital, dying. I would have been completely malleable to anything he wanted at that point." A thought struck her and she felt sick. "Oh God, what if my mom hadn't been diagnosed with cancer? Would he have arranged an accident for her too?" She shot to her feet, racing to the bathroom she had used earlier. She barely made it in time.

She was still kneeling beside the toilet when she felt hands gathering and moving her hair to the side, a damp washcloth being placed against the back of her neck. "Thanks Jane."

"Sorry," a male voice made her eyes shoot open. "I'm not Dr. Foster. I can get her if you would prefer?" Darcy looked up and met the concerned gaze of Captain America. He must have read the question in her eyes. "She and Pepper thought you might like a few minutes to yourself. But I thought you could use a friend."

"Captain America wants to be my friend?" She glanced down at herself as she turned so she was sitting instead of kneeling beside the toilet. She didn't think her current appearance was good for attracting friends, especially someone like Captain America.

He dropped down beside her. "I don't know about Captain America but Steve Rogers thinks you're someone he'd like to get to know better." He held out his hand to her.

She gave him a weak smile and took it. "Sounds even better. Thanks."

"Just the honest truth. You ready to go out there and face them again? Or we can stay right here until you're ready."

"No, I think I'm good now." She watched him stand then let him pull her to her feet. A warm feeling spread as he didn't release her hand. At least the day wasn't completely bad. She had a feeling that Steve Rogers was a good friend to have at your side in difficult times. And this was definitely a difficult time.

\------------------

Jane hurried to her friend's side as she finally reappeared. "Darcy, are you alright?" She looked far too pale. Her concern earned her a weak smile.

"I'm fine Jane, or I will be." She glanced at the man next to her and smiled again.

Jane raised a brow at their clasped hands but Darcy only shook her head so Jane let the matter drop. "Is there anything else that needs to be discussed right now?" she asked instead looking between Darcy and Ms. Potts.

"I don't believe there is anything that can't wait at this point," Ms. Potts said as she came closer. "I really am sorry Miss Lewis."

Darcy gave her another weak smile. "Darcy," she corrected.

"Darcy," Ms. Potts repeated with a smile. "Then please call me Pepper. You as well Dr. Foster."

Well if that's how it was going to be, "Jane."

"And I'm Steve," the lone man added, causing the group to chuckle slightly, breaking the earlier mood.

"Well with that out of the way are there any arrangements you would like me to make?" Pepper asked. "Your original accommodations are of course still available though I understand if you wish to decline them for the moment. I can arrange hotel suites if you are more comfortable with that."

"Or you could spend the night here. I have several guest rooms available," Steve offered.

Jane glanced at Darcy. It didn't matter to her but she would go with whatever Darcy chose.

The younger woman glanced at each of them before turning to Steve. "If you're sure it wouldn't be an inconvenience?" He shook his head. "Then I think I'd like to stay here, at least for the night." She turned back to Pepper. "And we can continue this tomorrow? I still have some questions but I'm kind of wiped."

"Of course," Pepper was completely understanding. "There have been enough emotional revelations for one day, I agree." She grimaced slightly. "And I still have to explain what we've discovered to Tony."

Jane did not envy her that task. Instead she watched as Darcy chewed her lip at the mention of Stark. "Darcy?"

She looked up before glancing at the redhead. "Does he-?"

Pepper seemed to understand what Darcy couldn't say. "He does want to meet you, when you are ready of course. Perhaps tomorrow he could join us?"

"I don't know. I mean, I get that he didn't know, I understand that here," she gestured to her head. "But I grew up thinking he wanted nothing to do with me, and that hurts. And the knowledge that he didn't know doesn't just make that pain disappear. I don't know that I'm ready to face him."

Pepper gave her a gentle smile. "I understand. Just please, think about it?"

Darcy bit her lip and Jane reached out to place a hand on her arm. "You won't know until you try. But it's your choice and I'll support you whatever you choose and I'll be with you the whole time if you want."

Darcy nodded. "Okay, no promises just yet but I will seriously consider meeting him tomorrow." She seemed to slump suddenly.

"That is all I ask. I'll just see myself out and let you guys rest. It's been quite a day." Pepper made her goodbyes and headed for the exit.

"Come on Darce, let's get you settled somewhere," Jane said as she found herself supporting more of her friend's weight.

"Here, I'll show you to the guest rooms," Steve offered, grabbing their bags from where they had been left against the wall.

Jane followed him then helped Darcy get settled into a bed. "You rest," she told her as she pulled her shoes off and then tugged the comforter over her friend. "I'll be right here." She sat next to her friend and watched over her as she drifted off, obviously exhausted by the emotional revelations from the course of the day. She sighed. Poor Darcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how accurate the whole birth certificate explanation was as I am not an expert in such things. But I do know that it is true that someone can be held financially responsible for a child if they are named on the birth certificate even if they later find out they are not the biological parent. And I don't know anything about how the inheritance of a company like SI would be handled so lets pretend this works for the sake of the story.
> 
> As for the rest of the chapter, please let me know what you think.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Clint help Tony come to terms with the past. Darcy has a nightmare. Someone pops in for a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mention of past perceived rape. Tony explains how he views what happened with Elizabeth the night Darcy was conceived.
> 
> Also, I made a slight change to the previous chapter after several readers made comments about the birth certificate. So after getting the DNA results Elizabeth filed the birth certificate with Tony listed as the father and then Stane used his influence to get it changed to unknown. At this point any other discrepancies are being hand-waved as plot device/author's prerogative.

Tony fiddled with his phone as he sat on the couch in Pepper's office waiting for word. He didn't know if he was hoping he would be allowed to listen or not. On the one hand he needed to know if his daughter, (His Daughter! He was a father!) would accept the truth. On the other hand he really didn't want to rehash all of the information Pepper was going to have to explain, not to mention how difficult it would be to listen to the girl's pain at the revelation.

JARVIS interrupted his thoughts. "I am sorry Sir but Miss Lewis does not feel comfortable allowing you to listen in at this time."

He slumped in his seat. "Well, I should have expected that, really." His mind started to wander down dark paths.

"Hey, none of that," Clint's voice dragged him back to the present. "Why don't you tell us what you can remember about Lewis' mother? You obviously recognized her name. I didn't expect you to remember a past conquest."

"It wasn't like that. Lizzie, Lizzie was different. She was my friend." He saw the other two exchange a look over his head. "Hey, I had friends before. Granted, not many but I did have them."

"We know that," Natasha said. "Just didn't expect that kind of relationship considering the circumstances. If you were friends then why didn't she come to you when she was pregnant instead of having a paternity test done?"

"'Cause we weren't friends at that point. Because I ruined it like I ruin everything else I touch. Seriously, you guys probably should get away now before I ruin you too." He slumped even more.

"Doubt anything you do can make our lives worse than the things we've done in the past has," Clint pointed out. "Come on, why don't you tell us what you did that Lizzie wouldn't contact you."

Tony's head shot up and he glared at the other man. "Only I get to call her Lizzie," he bit out.

"Okay," Clint held his hands up. "No harm meant. Didn't know it was a nickname only you used."

"I probably shouldn't be using it. I don't have that right, not after what I did."

"Stark, Tony," Natasha corrected. "Tell us what happened with your friend. What did you do that was so bad that she wouldn't contact you about a child?"

"Oh I'm sure she did try to tell me. Would be just like her not to hold it against me. I'm the one who refused to speak with her after IT happened. I couldn't take the chance of hurting her again." He stared at his phone as he turned it over in his hands, unable to look at either of the other two.

"What do you mean by hurting her again?" Clint asked, a strange to tone to his voice.

Tony shrugged. "Did you know that there are people out there who don't feel any type of attraction for either sex?" he asked suddenly. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the others exchange looks after the seeming non-sequitur.

"Yeah, they refer to that as Asexual, don't they?" Clint asked, apparently playing along.

Tony nodded. "Apparently there's a whole spectrum for it. There are those who aren't sexually attracted to others but still enjoy the act of sex. And then there are those who can't stand any type of sexual contact. Lizzie fell into that category." He saw the penny drop.

Clint frowned as he tried to connect the dots. "So what? She experimented with you and didn't like it? What, your ego couldn't handle it so you stopped talking to her?"

Tony threw his phone across the room and leaped to his feet. "No asshole! I stopped speaking to her after I raped her!" His shoulders slumped after the words left his mouth. He'd finally done it, he'd finally admitted what he had done all of those years ago. His head jerked to the side for the second time that morning and he lifted disbelieving eyes to the angry redhead who had just slapped him, again.

"Do I have your attention now?" At his nod she continued. "Good, then you are going to explain that comment right now. Because I for one can not picture you forcing any one to have sex with you, never mind their sexual orientation or lack there of. So start talking."

"I was drunk, completely wasted. Next thing I remember is waking up on top of her, naked. She had obviously been crying. What does that tell you?" His voice was flat as he answered her question.

"Don't make me slap you again to knock some sense into you," Natasha told him, eyes flashing dangerously. "Did she say you forced her?"

"No, but I didn't give her much of a chance to either."

Natasha ignored that. "You said she kept trying to contact you. Before she could know she was pregnant?" she asked.

"Yeah but that doesn't mean-"

She cut him off. "Did she ever say no?"

"I knew she didn't want sex."

"That's not what I asked." She forced him to meet her eyes. "Did she say no?" He shook his head. "Did she say anything?"

"She said." He swallowed, blinking away moisture from his eyes. "She said 'It's okay.' Over and over, that's all I remember her saying."

"You didn't rape her." Natasha's voice was firm.

"But-"

"She's right man," Clint agreed, stepping closer. He gave Tony a look. "This happened what, a month or less after your parents' deaths? Sounds to me like she was trying to offer comfort to a friend in the only way she could think of, no matter how uncomfortable it might have been to her. Don't take that away from her."

Tony glanced between them. "Are you sure?" They nodded. He slumped, suddenly feeling lighter than he had in years.

"You've been carrying that guilt all of these years, haven't you?" Clint questioned as he led him back to the couch.

"Thought I really hurt her, that I ruined her life for my own selfish desires," Tony confessed. He rubbed a hand down his face. "But I did still ruin her life, didn't I? I left her to raise a kid by herself."

"Hey, without having met her I can't say this for sure. But from the kind of woman you describe? I don't see her thinking you ruined her life. She probably thought you gave her a gift. And she managed to raise an impressive daughter," Clint told him.

Tony looked at him. "You were there, in New Mexico. Tell me about her?"

Clint gave him a grin. "Brave, kind, loyal. Got a soft spot for animals. Did you know that while the Destroyer was attacking the town, in addition to helping evacuate the people she ran into the pet store to rescue the animals. I saw her handing them off to people as they fled the town."

Tony raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Then made a mental note about looking into getting the girl a pet. He owed twenty plus years of presents. Hey, didn't all girls want a pony? He could get her a pony.

Natasha must have read something in his face. "No Stark." He gave her an innocent look. "I heard all about the giant bunny. Just no. Wait until she actually asks for something."

He absolutely did not pout.

Clint laughed and continued telling stories he remembered or had heard. Tony relaxed and listened to the stories.

At least until Pepper returned. Her arrival caused all attention to focus on her.

"Pepper?" Tony asked. Why did she look upset? "Did the talk go badly?" His kid hated him after all, didn't she?

Pepper shook her head. "All things considered, I think it went as well as could be expected." She approached the couch and Clint moved so that she could sit next beside Tony. "We didn't cover everything but she knows about Stane now and the fact that you were unaware. She's still hurt of course, but she's at least considering meeting you."

"That's good. So why do you seem upset?" Tony eyed her warily. He didn't know how much more bad news he could take.

"She was obviously upset upon learning about Stane and his actions. Apparently Stane was around as she grew up, enough that she refers to him as 'Uncle Obie'." Tony couldn't help the grimace that crossed his face at the nickname. "She was understandably confused as to why he would do this though."

"Because he was a rat bastard who wanted to control the company," Tony spat.

Pepper nodded, leaning further into his side. "Yes, but Steve asked something that made us realize just how big a bastard Stane was." She sighed. "Tony who would have inherited if you had died in Afghanistan?"

Tony was a genius. He quickly put the pieces together. "He was going to produce Darcy after my death and use her like a puppet with him being the one pulling all of the strings." He went off on a long rant, cursing Stane to the depths of hell.

Pepper nodded. "That was the consensus we came to. As Darcy pointed out, the timing was too suspicious with the attack on your convoy occurring while Darcy's mother was dying in the hospital."

Tony closed his eyes and thumped his head against the back of the couch. "He would have been able to manipulate her easily, a grieving orphan was no match for that conniving snake."

Pepper sighed. "As Darcy pointed out, it wouldn't be the first time."

No, it wouldn't have been, Tony thought recalling his own rise in the company and how he had leaned on Obadiah. Suddenly he couldn't sit still any longer and he leaped to his feet. "I need to go to my workshop," he told a concerned looking Pepper. "I can't," he trailed off, unable to put into words the restless feeling filling him.

"Go," she told him. "But go easy on the liquor. For my sake," she pleaded. "Or if not for me, then for Darcy."

He gave one short nod of acknowledgement before practically running for the door. He barely heard her thanking Clint and Natasha for staying with him as he hurried out and into the elevator. "Workshop J," he ordered. He sighed when the doors opened into his lab and he was greeted with his music already playing. He eyed the liquor cabinet to the side, desperately wishing for a drink before shaking his head. No, not if there was a chance he would soon be meeting his kid. "Not today, don't need to be anything more like Howard right now." He'd failed his kid enough as it was.

Instead he pulled up the specs on the armor and began working on a new frame. Banging it out with a hammer sounded really good at the moment.

\-----------------------

_Darcy wasn't sure where she was exactly. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. Someone was standing just up ahead. "Hello?" she called. The figure turned around and her eyes widened as she took in the sight of her father._

_Tony smiled at her. "Hi sweetheart, I've missed you."_

_Darcy stared at him. "Dad?"_

_"What's wrong? Come here and tell me all about it and I'll fix it in no time." He held his arms out to her._

_Darcy took a tentative step forward but before she could reach him he disappeared. "Dad?!"_

_"He's not here Darcy."_

_She turned and spotted her mother. "Mom! What's going on?" She ran toward her, struck by the sudden need to feel her mother's arms around her. But she disappeared before she could reach her too. "No! Mom! Dad!"_

_"You don't need them Darcy," she turned and saw Obadiah striding toward her. "Now come, it's time to take your place in the world."_

_"Where are my parents?"_

_He grinned at her. "I got rid of them of course. They weren't necessary for my plans anymore, they were just in the way. Besides, it's not like they ever wanted you, especially your father."_

_"You're lying!"_

_"Am I? Then where was he while you grew up? You've heard him, he never wanted children." He reached out and gripped her shoulder. "Now lets go see what weapons we can create today."_

_"No!"_

\------------------------

"No!"

Steve jerked awake at the scream from the other room. He was out the door to his room with the shield before it even registered what he was reacting to. He stopped at the sight of the open door, his eyes landing on a huddled Darcy being hugged by Jane. He quietly returned the shield to his room before returning and knocking lightly on the door frame. "Is everything alright?"

Darcy wiped hastily at her eyes. "Just a bad dream, sorry for disturbing you guys."

Jane looked angry at the apology. "Don't be sorry, after all of the nights you helped me through a rough spot I'm glad to return the favor."

"No need for apologies here either, I don't need much sleep." Steve shrugged. He leaned against the door. "You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Just my mind trying to work through the day's revelations, I guess."

"It was a lot to take in. Come on, I've got just the thing." He turned and headed for the kitchen, the two women following him out of curiosity. Taking out a pan he got out the chocolate and milk and set about making hot chocolate from scratch. "There," he said a short time later, handing each woman a mug. "As my Ma used to say there's not much that a good cup of hot chocolate can't soothe."

"Thanks," Darcy said, blowing on the steaming liquid before taking a small sip. "Wow, that is really good." She took another sip, and saw Jane also enjoying the beverage.

Steve smiled and took a sip of his own drink. He frowned when he noticed Darcy scowling into the depths of her mug instead of drinking it. "Darcy? I know you don't want to talk about your dream but is something else bothering you?"

She glanced up, biting her lip. "Just a thought that occurred to me. If Uncle-" She cut herself off with a scowl as she realized what she was about say. "If **Stane** tried to arrange my father's death in order to use me to control SI, then does that mean he did the same thing with his parents? How sure are we that Howard and Maria were killed in an accident?"

Steve felt the hot chocolate he had just swallowed turn to lead in his stomach. He knew the answer to that question, at least if a HYDRA computer could be believed. But should he tell her that, when he hadn't even told Tony yet? Even if Zola was telling the truth, it was HYDRA who were responsible for the Starks deaths, not Stane. There was nothing showing that Stane had been involved with HYDRA, even if he appeared to be just as evil as they were. He was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed JARVIS replying to Darcy's question.

"As far as my records go Miss Lewis, the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark were an accident. There were no signs of any foul play."

Darcy glanced at the ceiling. "But is that the truth or just what Stane wanted the record to show? He's already been proven to have altered official records at least once," she said, referring to her birth certificate.

"I am afraid Miss Lewis that at this point there is just no way to know."

"I thought so." She slumped down in her seat, huddling over the still warm hot chocolate.

Steve frowned, not liking how upset she seemed. He should say something, he realized. He should have already told Tony, he just hadn't wanted to bring up bad memories. But it seemed those memories were going to be rehashed anyway, he might as well clear up what he could. He was just opening his mouth to speak when a jolt went through the building. "What was that?" He saw Jane's face light up in realization.

"Thor!" the petite scientist exclaimed and even Darcy managed a small smile.

"Dr. Foster is correct, Prince Odinson has arrived on the roof. I am directing him to your location now and he should be there within a few moments."

True to JARVIS' words, Thor exited the elevator a few minutes later. "Steven," he greeted before turning to the two women. "Jane, Lady Darcy! I had not expected to find you here. But JARVIS said that I would." His keen eyes took in their appearance. "Has something occurred?"

The women exchanged a look. "It's a long story," Jane said.

Thor was incensed by the time they had finished. "That vile, dishonorable cur is lucky he is already dead for if he were not I would search the entire Nine Realms and beyond until I found him and ended his miserable life myself!" He turned to Darcy. "Though I am angered by what has been done to you I am heartened to hear that you know have the chance to get to know your father. The Man of Iron is a good man, intelligent and fierce. Truly, I know not how did not realize your ties before this." Darcy gave him a weak smile and he frowned. "But something still troubles you. Tell me, that I may be able to ease your burden?"

"It's just," she sighed, turning her gaze to the table. "What if he still doesn't want me?" she asked in a small voice. "Now I know that he never contacted me because he didn't know but what if I meet him and he decides that he doesn't want me after all. I mean, he's said in the past about how he never wanted kids and-"

Thor interrupted her. "Only an honor-less fool would see you and not want you. And the Man of Iron is neither honor-less nor a fool. You are beautiful, strong, intelligent, loyal, and so much more. Any man would be honored to call you daughter, just as I am an honored to call you sister."

Steve felt uncomfortable as the conversation went on, not because he disagreed with what Thor was saying but because it felt like he was intruding on a private, intimate conversation. But he couldn't leave without drawing attention to himself and ruining the mood that had taken over the room.

"You really mean that, don't you?" Darcy glanced from Thor who radiated sincerity, to Jane who was nodding along in agreement, and then finally to Steve. Meeting her gaze he gave her a single nod to show that he too agreed with Thor's words. As if the confirmation from the others was what she needed, she launched herself at Thor, wrapping her arms as far around him as she could reach. Thor seemed to know what she sought and returned the tight embrace. They were joined a moment later by Jane. "Cuddle pile," Darcy laughed.

Steve looked on with a faint, wistful smile. Thor must have noticed his gaze for he looked up and held an arm. "Come join us Steven."

Steve was taken aback. "Uh, no that's okay," he started to say. The next thing he knew he was tugged forward and pulled into the group hug. He blushed slightly as he felt Darcy's curves pressing against him, but soon relaxed. The hug felt strangely good. He didn't remember the last time he had been hugged like this.

Eventually, Darcy pulled back slightly and the others took that as their cue to also pull away from the hug. "Thanks," she told them. "I needed that."

"Any time," Jane told her, Thor and Steve nodding their agreement.

"I'll hold you to that," Darcy said with a smile before blushing as her stomach let out a grumble. "Guess I'm hungry."

Jane's stomach gave an answering rumble. "I'm not surprised. Neither of us ate anything since the plane."

Two louder growls filled the air and the women turned to the men with raised eyebrows as if to ask 'what's your excuse?' Steve shrugged. "Didn't want to feel left out," he said causing them to laugh. Thor just grinned as they all knew of his appetite. "Let's see what we have available," Steve added heading toward the 'fridge.

Thankfully the rest of the night passed easily as they talked of lighter subjects and shared a fast but filling meal before returning to their beds once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm not sure where Thor came from but he snuck in and took over the last part of the chapter. I'm thinking there's only a few chapters left, unless of course a character decides to take over the story again. Otherwise we're approaching the end. Next chapter should finally have Darcy and Tony meeting.


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The meeting doesn't go as smoothly as hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I really meant to have this up yesterday but I was too tired after work to get much writing done, plus Tony didn't want to cooperate. So sorry for those who looked for the chapter yesterday. But here we go, the anticipated meeting of Darcy and Tony.

"Oh Tony."

Tony looked up bleary-eyed from where he had been slumped over his workbench. "Pep?" He shifted and winced as his back protested the movement. Fingers gently threaded their way through his tangled hair and he leaned into the comforting touch. "What time is it?"

"It's early. Or in your case, really late," Pepper said wryly. "Come up to bed Tony."

He shook his head. "Can't sleep. Too many thoughts in my head." And not happy thoughts. Rarely did he get happy thoughts. Downside of being a genius.

"At least lie down for a few hours and rest," she pleaded. "You don't want to meet Darcy looking like you do right now."

"She doesn't want to meet me," he pointed out.

"No, she said she needed to think about it. And she has."

Tony's head shot up as her words sank in. "What?"

"She left a message with JARVIS about picking up our discussion over Brunch. And added that you could join us if you wanted to."

Tony was suddenly wide awake, nervous energy coursing through his body. "Really? She wants to meet me?" He started pacing back and forth. "What am I supposed to say to her? What am I supposed to wear?" He started rambling about a suit being too formal and his workshop attire too casual.

"Tony!" Pepper's exasperated voice finally halted him in his tracks. "You are going to lie down, in a bed, for a couple of hours. Then you will take a shower. I have to go into the office for a few hours but I will be back in time to dress you. A nice pair of jeans and a button-down shirt will be both appropriate and comfortable." Her gaze softened. "Just be yourself Tony, that's all Darcy is looking for."

Nobody wanted him to be himself, he thought but didn't say. Taking in Pepper's raised eyebrow he amended the thought. 'Well, almost nobody.' He hoped Darcy would fall into the minuscule percentage that did. He let Pepper prod him upstairs to the Penthouse and into bed.

"I will be back in a few hours. Please attempt to get some rest." She kissed him before exiting the room, her heels clicking along down the hallway.

Tony obediently laid there, for about five minutes. After that his racing mind, still too full of questions about Darcy, what she was like, what she would expect of him, had him sitting up and reaching for a tablet. He logged on and thought for a moment before searching through Culver's database for her school records. He had just found them when the tablet went dark. "What the hell?"

"Sir, you promised Ms. Potts you would rest."

A suspicious look crossed his face. "JARVIS, did you turn off my tablet?" He turned it back on, this time searching for Darcy's medical records. Again the tablet shut off. "JARVIS! I will reprogram you to have to answer the technical support hotline for idiots if you don't knock it off!"

"I am sorry Sir, but Ms. Potts left strict instructions not to allow you to invade Miss Lewis' privacy. I suggest you lie back down and rest as she asked."

"Traitor," Tony muttered as he tossed the tablet aside and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't pouting.

That's how Pepper found him a few hours later, though he had managed to doze off for a few minutes here and there. She shook her head. "Well at least you got some rest. Go on, into the shower with you."

Tony gave her a suggestive look. "Oh, trying to get me wet and naked Ms. Potts?" But it was halfhearted at best.

"Go." She gave him a little shove and he went. He made sure he thoroughly washed his hair and scrubbed the grease from his body before he groomed his goatee. He wanted to make a good impression.

He winced as he looked in the mirror at the bruise around his eye. Should he cover it up?

"Leave it Tony," Pepper said, entering the bathroom to hand him the outfit she had picked out. Black jeans and a dark red button-down shirt. "You want to be yourself, not the version of you that goes before the media."

Tony sighed but didn't conceal the bruise with makeup. He accepted the clothes she held out and dressed. Turning to face her he asked, "Well, do I pass muster?"

Pepper eyed him. "You'll do. Come on, let's not keep them waiting."

Tony tried to ignore the sudden churning in his stomach. This was it, he was about to meet his daughter for the first time. "They're still on Cap's floor?" he asked, surprised when he saw which floor number lit up. "I know Thor returned last night, I thought they would have gone to his." He'd actually half-expected the Asgardian to show up and take him to task for both the previous day's events and for not taking care of his responsibilities to his daughter (never mind that he didn't know) who the other man considered as a sister. He considered making a joke about if that made him the All-Father before shaking his head. That was not the impression he wanted to make on his daughter for the first time. He instead listened as Pepper answered his previous question.

"Apparently Darcy is comfortable on Steve's floor." Pepper gave him a sly smile. "I think Steve's a bit smitten."

Tony's eyes widened at that bit of news. "What?! No, no way in-" he cut himself off, swallowing his protests as the elevator dinged their arrival. Protesting Capsicle having an interest in his new-found daughter was also not the first impression he wanted to make on said new-found daughter. The doors opened and he stepped inside, coming to a halt as his eyes automatically trailed over the occupants before landing on the only one that mattered at the moment.

She stood wide-eyed in the center of the room, as if she'd been pacing it before the elevator doors opened. Her shoulders were hunched, making her seem even smaller in the over-sized sweater she wore as her long brown hair fell around her shoulders. But her eyes were locked on his face. Her eyes.

Tony found himself taking an unconscious step forward. "You have your mother's eyes," he told her before silently berating himself. "But you knew that already. Hi," he said, awkwardly.

"Hi," she answered back, taking a step forward herself. They continued to stare at one another, each unconsciously taking a step forward until they were right in front of each other.

Tony blinked as he realized they were only about a foot or so apart. When had that happened? "So, I'm Tony Stark, but again you already knew that. Is this as awkward for you as it is for me?" he babbled. Damn it, he silently berated himself, where had his smooth tongue disappeared to?

She laughed a little. "Yeah, no, way awkward here." She bit her lip. "So are we supposed to shake hands? Hug? What's the protocol in this situation?"

"I honestly have no idea. This is definitely one situation in which I have had no experience." They continued to awkwardly stand there, aware of everyone's eyes watching them but unable to say anything else.

Thankfully Pepper stepped in. "Perhaps we should sit down and continue this as we eat?"

"Yeah food, food is good," Tony said, eager for the awkwardness to end. He turned toward the table only to find himself being scrutinized by a petite astrophysicist. "Oh, hello again Dr. Foster."

"Mr. Stark," she answered, eying him suspiciously. She took in the bruise on his face. "I should apologize for that," she said with a nod at it. "However, I will do worse if you hurt my friend."

"Jane!" Darcy hissed. She turned and really took in the bruise on his face, wincing slightly. "Oh wow, she really got you good."

Thor's booming laugh filled the air. "Indeed. Many have underestimated my Jane for her size but more the fool they for her spirit is passionate indeed, whether in pursuit of her science or in defense of her friends." He eyed Tony's bruise before placing his arm around Jane's shoulders. "Well done indeed, My Lady."

Tony snorted and shook his head. Of course Thor would be proud of his girlfriend. He spotted Darcy worrying at her lip. "It's fine, no hard feelings here," he told her. "Doesn't hurt at all," he lied. She looked doubtful but let the subject drop.

A few minutes later found them all seated around Steve's table which was piled with food. They filled their plates and then the awkward silence returned. Tony fiddled with his fork, moving his eggs around on his plate. He sighed, glancing around the table. Darcy was directly across from him, Foster to her right with Thor next to Foster, and Steve was at one end of the table so that he was between Darcy and Tony. Pepper was to Tony's left. His eyes landed on Foster and he finally thought of a topic to broach. "So Astrophysics, huh?"

Darcy scrunched up her face and looked up from where she, too, had been playing with her food. "Huh?"

"Astrophysics? That was your course of study?" Tony prompted her. "Were you really into the stars?"

"Oh! No, that's all Jane."

Tony frowned, confused. "Then how did you end up with Foster?"

She shrugged. "I needed six credits to graduate and couldn't fit any more classes into my schedule, Jane advertised an internship that would provide them. The rest is history," she said with a nod in Thor's direction.

"And I am so glad you needed those credits," Foster added. "Not only did I gain one of the best friends I could ever ask for, but you are amazing with my machines." Her words were clearly designed to cheer up Darcy.

Tony was thankful of that. Foster smiling at Darcy was a nice change from the suspicious looks she'd been throwing him since he'd arrived. He latched onto one part of her statement. "So you're good with tech then? Well of course you are, it's in your genes. Another brilliant engineer?" he half-asked, half-stated. He didn't expect her to slump down into her seat again. What had he said wrong? Foster was back to glaring at him.

"Not an engineer, I just tinker is all," Darcy muttered.

"Okay, I'm sensing this is a sore subject," Tony said, ignoring Pepper hissing his name beside him. "Should I keep guessing or are you going to tell me your major?"

She looked up at him, a bit wary, a bit defiant. "Political Science." Her chin jutted out as if to say 'Got a problem with that?' If he'd been more focused on her expression than her words he would have found it oddly familiar. But he was still trying to make sense of her words.

"Political Science? What is that even? That's not a real science. Politics? You wanted to go into politics? Why on Earth would you want to do that?" He winced as he felt Pepper dig her elbow into his side and he finally took in the looks he was getting. Pepper was exasperated and annoyed, if looks could kill he'd be dead at least three times over from Foster's glare, Thor was shaking his head at him, and Steve was giving him that Captain America is disappointed in you look.

Frustration filled him, he just wanted to try to get to know his kid, damn it!

\-----------------

She didn't know what did it, whether it was his disbelief or the dismissive tone he used when saying it. But she had finally reached her breaking point with this whole mess and she snapped. "It was something that had absolutely no connection to you!" She watched as he jerked in his seat, her words like a physical blow. Something in her seemed to loosen and the words continued to pour out, releasing all of the hurt and anger she'd bottled up over the years. She stood up, leaning over the table. "I was sick and tired of trying to impress a father that wasn't ever there! Yes, I'm good with computers and tech but that was your field, and despite Unc- despite Stane's efforts to the contrary, I didn't want to work in a field connected to you! So I picked a field of study as disconnected from you as I could!"

He had gone pale at her words, staring at her as the blood drained from his face.

And yet she couldn't make herself stop. "I know it wasn't your fault, that you didn't know about me. But I didn't know that! All I knew was that you were never around so what else was I to do but think you didn't want to be around me? That it was my fault? And I only ever seemed to get confirmation of that belief. Do you have any idea how much it hurts to be a kid wondering why your father hates you, why he won't spend time with you? And you turn on the TV and there he is, telling the whole world how much he doesn't want a kid. How much of a mistake it would be. I just couldn't keep trying knowing that nothing I did would ever be good enough." She collapsed back into her chair and covered her face with her hands, unable to meet anyone's gaze as the emotions that had driven her to speak drained out of her, leaving her feeling empty and drained but also relieved. It felt good to let that out, get it out of her system.

There was the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Darcy uncovered her face to see an ashen Tony Stark standing from the table. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly unable to find any words. The feeling of relief from finally voicing the years of hurt left her, replaced by guilt. The pain she saw in his eyes resonated within her. She could only watch as he finally shook his head and walked away, entering the elevator without a word. Thinking over her words she winced, the guilt doubling as she recalled that Tony had a tumultuous relationship with his own father.

"That could have gone better," Pepper said with a sigh. "Excuse me, I had better go and check on him."

Darcy finally found her voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that."

"No," Pepper said with a sigh. "You're entitled to your feelings. You needed to say it and he needed to hear it. But now I need to go check on him."

But Darcy couldn't leave it like that. She hadn't wanted to explode on him like that, even if what she'd said was the truth about how she felt. At the moment all she could see was the hurt and despair in Tony's eyes as he had gotten up and left. "Wait," she said as Pepper stood. "Can I go instead?" She met Pepper's scrutinizing gaze. "I want to apologize. To him. I meant what I said but I should have waited to say it. And I shouldn't have said it like that. This wasn't how I wanted our meeting to go."

Pepper eyed her a moment longer. "I understand that you are hurting but so is he. It isn't my place to say anything but he did not have a good relationship with his father. This situation is bringing up too many reminders of his own childhood. I need you to really consider what you want, whether you really want to try to have a relationship with him. I am not saying you have to choose right now, but if you're not serious about this, about him then I can't let you be the one to go to him. Not now."

Darcy glanced down as she considered what she wanted. Did she want to get to know her father? Yes, that was something she had wanted her whole life, even when she told herself she didn't. Could she set aside the hurt and anger she still carried so that they could start their relationship off on the right foot? She wasn't sure. But she also couldn't leave things as they stood right now. She lifted her head and met Pepper's gaze once more. "I want to get to know him, I want him to be a part of my life. I don't know if I can set aside the past hurt, but I can try."

Pepper nodded thoughtfully before smiling slightly at her. "That's all that I ask. JARVIS?"

"Sir is in the workshop. He has not yet enacted privacy protocols."

"JARVIS will show you to the workshop." Pepper gestured to the elevator.

Darcy started toward it before stopping and looking at everyone else. "Sorry for ruining the meal guys." With that she entered the elevator. It was time to try meeting again. Father-daughter first meeting version 2.0 was a go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, good? Bad? Let me know your thoughts.
> 
> I think the next chapter will be the last, unless the characters hijack the story again. I hope to have it up tomorrow but I have an long work shift tomorrow so it might not be up until Tuesday.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Tony talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, final chapter. I hope you all enjoy as much as you have the rest of the fic. Please let me know what you think.
> 
> Also, while this is the end of this fic, it is not the end of this 'verse. You might have noticed that this is now part of a series. I intend to write and post one-shots of various points in this series. In fact, one should be posted not long after this chapter. But no promises on how long you might have to wait, as I have put off reading to focus on writing these last couple of weeks and there are a number of fics I would like to get caught up on.

Tony slowly walked into his workshop, not really seeing anything. Darcy's words replayed over and over in his head. He stood there and just replayed the words over and over.

_"I was sick and tired of trying to impress a father that wasn't ever there!"_

_All I knew was that you were never around so what else was I to do but think you didn't want to be around me?_

_I just couldn't keep trying knowing that nothing I did would ever be good enough._

"I've turned into my father," he muttered, hands coming up to tug at his hair.

DUM-E beeped and rolled toward him.

"Not now DUM-E," he said, waving the 'bot away to its charging station. He glanced around the workshop, his eyes landing on the liquor cabinet. "Well I've already turned into Howard this much, might as well go the rest of the way." He strode over and poured a glass of scotch. He contemplated it for another long moment before finally taking a sip.

The doors slid open behind him. "I don't want to hear it right now Pepper," he said without turning around. He brought the glass up for another sip.

"Um, I'm not Pepper."

Tony's eyes widened and he whirled around, nearly dropping the glass in shock. "What are you doing here? Come to berate me further for my short-comings as a father?" He winced as Darcy flinched back.

Still she firmed up her shoulders and took another step forward. "No, I came to apologize. I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. You didn't know, and I have to stop blaming you for not being there. So I'm sorry for yelling at you like that."

Tony shook his head. "Not like you didn't say anything that wasn't true. You're right, I didn't want to be a father. Truth is I'm not father material. I can't even say if things would have been any different if I had known about you. So yeah, maybe we shouldn't even try."

Darcy flinched back at his words. "You don't mean that." Her voice shook a bit.

Tony shrugged, mask firmly in place as he started to raise the walls around his heart. Time to give the girl an out, she'd been through enough. "Let's see, I drink too much, I'm selfish and have narcissistic tendencies, I drink too much and I don't play well with others. Yeah, I'm exactly the type of person that should be a father." He took another sip to emphasize his point. "Look, I'll set up some accounts for you, I owe you that much. But we never have to see each other again." He ignored the way his heart twisted as he said it.

Darcy paled. "You, you don't want me around?" Tears gathered in her eyes. She shook her head. "I don't want your money. I just want to get to know you."

"No, you really don't. Nobody wants to get to know the real me, well almost nobody."

"I know about your relationship with your father. Not the specifics but I know you didn't get along. I should have thought of that, remembered that before I opened my mouth earlier."

"That has nothing to do with this," Tony lied.

"Doesn't it?" she asked. "Look, tell me the truth. If Howard Stark had come to you and offered the deal you just did to me would you have taken it? If you can honestly say yes then fine, I'll walk away," her voice broke slightly on the last words and a solitary tear slipped down her cheek.

No, he wouldn't have. Even at the worst stages of their relationship all he had ever wanted was some acknowledgement from Howard. Some sign that he had done good. But was he able to provide what Darcy needed, wanted? He opened his mouth to respond, to say what he didn't know, but didn't get the chance.

DUM-E rolled up beeping. "DUM-E, no, go back to your station."

DUM-E ignored him and held out a slightly grease-stained cloth to Darcy. "Oh, thank you," she said, taking it from him. She examined the 'bot with wonder. "I made a 'bot once," she commented absently as she took in DUM-E's 'body'. DUM-E tilted his claw in question and she continued. "It was a lot smaller. It's gone now," she said at his questioning beep.

DUM-E tilted his claw before rolling away toward his charging station.

"Sorry about him," Tony said. "He likes to try to be helpful even if he usually just makes a mess." His tone was slightly fond as he spoke of the 'bot.

Darcy tilted her head at him. "And yet you haven't gotten rid of him yet." Tony said nothing. "Look, maybe you're right and you would have been a terrible father. Maybe you're wrong. Can't we at least try?" She turned pleading eyes on him.

Tony felt his resolve crumbling. He did want to try, badly. But he didn't want to cause her more pain and that's all he could see happening. "Can you really forgive me for not being there? No, don't just answer. I want you to consider what your worst moment was growing up. Think about how you felt then, and my absence and how that added to it. Then tell me if you really want me around."

\-------------------

Darcy bit her lip as she tried to think of what her worst moment was. Her mind initially went to being served with the papers by the lawyer before she shook her head. No, that was bad but she'd already spent years believing that her father didn't want her, that she wasn't good enough. No, her worst moment was when she realized that nothing she did would ever be enough. When he threw her 'bot in the trash like it was nothing, like she was nothing. With a start she realized that she had let that experience dictate her life. She'd given up on engineering despite her talent and the pleasure it gave her, all because she'd expected all of her future efforts to be met with the same reaction. She'd been subconsciously expecting it for every thing she did since that moment. Could she really attempt a relationship with this man when she would subconsciously be expecting the same in the future?

"Now what? DUM-E, no!"

She looked up as the 'bot prodded her, holding something out to her. "What?" she asked, reaching up to take the object from him as he beeped at her. Her eyes widened as she stared at the familiar object in her hands. "H-how?" she stammered. "Where did you get this?" It was the little robot she had made all of those years ago.

Tony looked up at her from where he had been trying to shoo DUM-E away in exasperation. "Huh? Oh that. I've had it for years, DUM-E claimed it, I think he sees it as a pet or something."

"But you threw it away." She knew he had, she'd seen the footage.

"How do you know that?" His face scrunched up in confusion.

Darcy just stared at him, unable to speak further at the moment.

He sighed. "Yeah, okay. So when I first saw it I was a little drunk and just having a bad day. When I sobered up I remembered what I had done and went and found it still in the garbage. It didn't belong there, nobody deserves to have their efforts looked down on like garbage like that. So I took it out and brought it to the shop. Thing was actually pretty well put together, at least once I took the hidden camera out. I figured it was an attempt at corporate espionage but no need to take it out on the little guy. After that DUM-E claimed it." He frowned. "But why do you care? How do you even recognize it?"

"I made it," Darcy said quietly, tears shining in her eyes. "I made it for you." Unable to resist any longer, she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Tony's eyes widened and he froze for a moment before hesitantly lifting his own arms to return the embrace. "You made it?"

She nodded against his chest. "I had hoped that you would be impressed, that you would realize I was good at building things and come see me so we could build something together. I put the camera in so I could see your reaction and gave it to Stane to give to you." She released him, taking a step back and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "It wasn't the reaction I expected."

"Shit," he said. "You were what, seven, eight when you made it? You saw me toss it in the garbage and felt like that was what I thought about you." He slumped his shoulders. "I really was as bad as Howard to you."

Darcy shook her head and reached out to grasp his hand. "No, because you went back and retrieved it. You realized it was special even without knowing about me, about just who made it." She gave him a watery smile. "I really would like to get to know you. That is if you want to get to know me too?"

Tony gave her a watery smile of his own as he retrieved the little 'bot from her and placed it carefully on a shelf. "There's nothing else I want to do more than get to know this amazing young woman standing before me." He squeezed her hand. "So, do you still want to build something with your old man?"

"I'd like that, I'd like that a lot." He started to lead her to one of the work benches, calling for JARVIS to pull up various holograms for something they could do together. She paused, causing him to stop and look over at her. "You know this isn't a fix-it for everything? We'll still run into rough spots," she warned him.

"I know, we both have too much emotional baggage. It's not going to be easy. But I think we're off to a good start." He gazed at her questioningly.

Darcy smile. "Yeah, this is a really good place to start." She listened as he started to point to various holograms and give an explanation. She felt lighter than she had in a long time. And as they argued details for their design she felt a thrill she hadn't felt since she was younger. Maybe this wasn't just a new start in her relationship with her father. Maybe it was time for a new start in engineering as well.

She laughed as DUM-E suddenly sprayed Tony with a fire extinguisher and he began threatening the 'bot. No things weren't perfect but they were off to a great start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So good? Bad? Please let me know what you think. Does it seem believable or do you have any suggestions for improvements? I am all ears, I would really love to know what everyone thinks.


End file.
